Island Song – A Quinntana Tale
by jenung97102
Summary: Quinn is a successful marketing executive who lives in Chicago. She travels to Hawaii for a conference, and it's there that she meets a local girl named Santana. The two hit it off and feelings arise, but what happens when Quinn has to return to Chicago? AU/OOC. Quinntana endgame.
1. Chapter 1

Hi all! I was so inspired by the response to my first FF story that I decided to write another one. This is my second story for FF. This one will be slightly less heavy than my first story, but there will still be conflict, tension and drama. As with my first story, I will be uploading this one by chapters. Also, my first story revolved more around Santana as the driving force, so this one will revolve more around Quinn. As before, all feedback is appreciated, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter 1

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our initial descent into Honolulu…"

Quinn's eyes fluttered open as she heard the captain's voice through the intercom. She opened the window of her first class seat and stared out as the plane descended into a beautiful Hawaiian afternoon. The ocean sparkled a sapphire blue beneath, as the volcanic mountains stood in the distance. She exhaled a deep breath and smiled. It had been a long flight from Chicago, but she was almost there. Three weeks in paradise. She couldn't wait.

As a successful marketing director at a large firm in Chicago, Quinn had been selected from over two hundred some-odd people in her firm by the company's executive staff to attend a large marketing conference in Honolulu, all expenses paid. It was a big honor to be selected, and Quinn smiled at the thought of the privilege. It was validation that all of her hard work had paid off. She had done well in high school, paying attention in class when others had ditched. She had done well in college, staying in to study when others had gone to the bars. She had worked internships when others had spent time tailgating at football games. And she had graduated in three and a half years and found a job right away, when others had taken longer to graduate and had floundered in the tough job market. She had put in her time and the hours and had slogged through the grunt work and climbed her way up the company ladder. Now, at the age of 28, she was the youngest vice president in the company, and she was on the fast track to joining the ranks of the executive staff. Yes, she thought – all of the hard work and sacrifice was finally starting to pay off. She had it all. A job she loved at a company that was on the rise, a hefty salary, a plush apartment in a high rise building on Lake Michigan, friends, and physical beauty that hadn't diminished since her days as captain of the cheerleading squad at a prestigious high school on Chicago's north shore. If anything, she might look even better than she did ten years ago. More refined, maybe. Or more accomplished, or more elegant. Quinn wasn't sure which one, but she still looked good.

The only thing she didn't have was love. It wasn't that she was avoiding it, but she wasn't exactly actively seeking it out, either. She had dated a few guys in high school, and then when she had made that self-discovery in college, she had dated some women as well. Since entering the working world seven years ago, she had been on a handful of dates, and even some second and third dates. She even had something a few years ago that could have been called an actual relationship, but nothing serious had ever materialized. Her career was demanding, but there was still time and room in her life for someone special. She had just been so focused on advancing that she just hadn't had the time to find the right person yet, or at least that's what she told herself. Having someone in her life like that wasn't on the top of her priority list, she thought, but it would be nice. She had everything else. Perhaps having someone would make her life complete. And, it wasn't like she felt incomplete, but at times she felt like there was something missing.

Quinn stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac. Warm tropical air blew across her face, and she looked up into the sky and exhaled a deep breath. This was going to be a great three weeks, she thought. The conference meetings and panels took place during the day, but her schedule wasn't so packed that she couldn't enjoy some free time. Her nights were largely free, and she was looking forward to also enjoying some daytime activities as well. She was still in good shape, and she worked out daily at the health club at the base of her apartment building. She was looking forward to doing some jogging and hiking. She was even looking forward to getting in the water and doing some swimming. She liked swimming, even though she wasn't a strong swimmer. Maybe I'll even try surfing, she thought, since she figured that was something that one tried when visiting Hawaii. She headed to baggage claim, found her bag, and headed towards the pick-up curb. She was almost outside, when she saw a man who looked like a driver holding up a sign that had her last name and her company's name on it. She walked up to the man and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Quinn Fabray", she said.

"Aloha, Miss Fabray. Welcome to Hawaii. Let me get that." He spoke in the Hawaiian pidgin English and took Quinn's suitcase. "Please, follow me". He led Quinn outside and to a waiting Lincoln Town Car. Her company had arranged the ride for her. Nice car, Quinn thought. The driver opened the rear door for Quinn to get in, and then put her suitcase in the trunk. He jumped in the driver's seat and headed for Quinn's hotel. Quinn stared out the window at the lush tropical scenery.

"First time in Hawaii, Ms. Fabray?" the driver asked as he drove towards the Sheraton on the beach in Waikiki.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, I hope you enjoy your time here." The driver paused for a moment and then said, "There's magic on these islands."

Quinn chuckled slightly. "I'm sure there is", she said. Probably a standard line that the locals use on all tourists. The line, the pidgin accent - all part of the charm of the visitor's experience to a tropical island thousands of miles from home. There was something special about this place, though, she thought. She could feel it as she stepped off the plane. Maybe it really was Hawaii itself. Or maybe it was just the tourist's notion that he or she was on an island far away from everyday life. Well, whatever it was, she was going to enjoy her time here, before she headed back to the Windy City.

The car reached the hotel, and the driver helped Quinn with her bags. She thanked him and tipped him generously, then walked to the front desk and checked in. She took the elevator up and found her room on the ocean side of the hotel. She opened the front door, set down her bags, and took in her space for the next three weeks. The living area was straight in front of her, complete with couch, TV, coffee table, and a small dining table with two chairs. Beyond the living area was a balcony with two reclining chairs. To the left was the bathroom and the bedroom. A small kitchenette was to the right. It was a plush junior suite, a perfect fit for a junior executive, just like she saw herself. Nice room. The company spared no expense, she thought.

Quinn walked to the balcony doors, opened them and walked out. Her eyes took in the view and she smiled. In front of her was Waikiki Beach. Beyond it the Pacific Ocean sparkled in the late afternoon sun. To the right the beach curled off into the distance, and to the left she could see the majestic crater of Diamond Head volcano rising up into the clear sky. Quinn closed her eyes, inhaled the ocean breeze and stood there for a minute, taking in the feeling of the reality setting in that she was actually in Hawaii. She opened her eyes, and as she did she saw a couple walking on the beach, hand in hand, smiling and laughing. She kept her eyes on them, and her thoughts drifted again to how nice it would be to actually have someone that way in her life. She thought about what it would have been like to have brought that special someone with her, to share this wonderful moment that she was feeling. She thought about how that special someone would be standing next to her, shoulder to shoulder, staring out at the water with her, thinking about how wonderful it was to be here, and then that special someone would turn to Quinn, say how nice it was to be here, and then smile, lean in and kiss Quinn on the lips. Quinn continued that train of thought for a moment longer, and then that thought was interrupted by her stomach growling. She realized that she hadn't eaten since she had left Chicago. She had taken a couple of sleeping pills at the beginning of the flight, so she had slept most of the nine hour plane ride over. She was thinking about going straight to a restaurant, but after sitting on a plane for so long, her body was crying out for exercise. She had left her apartment early in the morning and hadn't worked out since yesterday morning, which for her was a long time between workouts. She really wasn't as inspired to work out as she usually was, probably due to the long flight and jet lag, but she thought that running along the beach instead of on a treadmill would be a motivator. Plus, she knew that once she got moving she would be okay. Sometimes it was just a matter of getting going. She looked at her phone. Almost 5pm local time. The sun would be going down soon, so if she was going to run she needed to get moving. She unpacked her bags, sorted herself for three weeks of living in the suite, and then changed out of the jeans, long sleeve shirt and boots that she had been wearing on the plane into her running shorts, tank top and running shoes. She grabbed her room key and phone, threw on her headphones, and walked out the door of her room. She took the stairs down three flights to the lobby and exited out the back towards the beach. She found a trail right along the sand and took off.

After an hour of running along beach trails, Quinn slowed to a walk. She had ended up at Magic Island, just west of Waikiki. She took off her headphones, walked to the edge of the water and stared out into the sea. The run and scenery had rejuvenated her, and she felt like a new person, even after a full day of travel. Maybe this place is magic, she thought, and she smiled at the words of the car driver.

The sun was setting, and she put her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the reddish-orange glare. It was then that she saw it. A lone figure, surfing in the distance. Quinn watched as the figure glided across the wave, sometimes going up, sometimes going down, but always moving in the direction that the white foam of the wave was going, staying just slightly ahead of it. The white foam dissipated, and the surfer laid down onto the board and started paddling towards the shore. Quinn stood there transfixed and watched the figure on the board in the water. As the figure came closer, Quinn could see that is was a woman. She had black hair and tanned skin. She was wearing a pink bikini bottom and what looked to be some kind of waterproof top, and Quinn took note of the surfer's athletic form.

Most of all, though, Quinn noticed the surfer's face. She had a beautiful, exotic look. Maybe part Latina and part Pacific Islander, although Quinn couldn't be sure. As Quinn studied the surfer, she could see the glow on her face. She wasn't smiling, but Quinn could sense that there was some kind of positive energy radiating from her, like a kind of serenity, as if the surfer was completely at peace in this moment. Quinn smiled at that thought, and she remembered back to a time in her own life where she used to think more like that. Life hadn't always been about getting ahead. She remembered a time when she wasn't concerned with that as much as just having fun and enjoying the moment. Oh well, Quinn thought. I'm an adult now, and caring about getting ahead is just what grownup life is like. Well, maybe they don't do that here, she thought, but then again, they haven't had my life. Plus, this is a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Life's probably just different here, she thought.

As Quinn continued to stare and think, the surfer approached closer on her way back to shore. She looked up and turned her head in Quinn's direction. Quinn snapped out of her thoughts and focused back on the surfer's face, her black hair, exotic tanned features, and dark brown eyes. The surfer appeared to be about her age. She's beautiful, Quinn thought. The surfer stared at Quinn for a moment and then smiled a faint smile. Quinn paused for a second, transfixed by the surfer's beauty, and then smiled back. The surfer continued to smile at Quinn for another few seconds, and then she turned away, looked ahead, and continued to paddle towards the shore. Quinn continued to stare at her as she passed. As the surfer neared the shore, Quinn thought about running to the beach and introducing herself to the surfer as she came out of the water, but instead she stood still and continued to stare, transfixed. The surfer reached the shore, rose out of the water, walked up the beach and turned on an outdoor shower that was next to the parking lot. Quinn continued to stare as the surfer stood facing away from the shower head, back arched out, head tilted back, and washed the salt water from her hair, gently shaking her head back and forth and massaging her straight black locks. The surfer shut off the water, grabbed her board, and headed for her car. She secured her board onto the rack on top of the car, and as she got in and turned on the engine, she looked up one last time and her eyes met Quinn's. She was pretty far away, but Quinn though she sensed a slight smile coming again from the surfer's face. Quinn smiled again, and then the surfer put the car into drive and drove away. Quinn stood there for a few more minutes, lost in thought of the surfer's exotic beauty and smile. The sun was now almost down, and Quinn realized that she was indeed very hungry. She put on her headphones and started jogging back to the hotel.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all of the favoriting, adding this story to your story alerts, PMs and feedback. Starting in this chapter, this story will incorporate some Hawaiian words. The translations will be in italics. Also, this story will contain names to some actual real places, things and people. These may run the gamut in this story from true-to-life to only faintly resembling real life.

Chapter 2

It was dark when Quinn got back to her hotel room. She stripped off her running clothes and jumped in the shower. As she lathered up her hair and body, she couldn't stop thinking about the surfing goddess she had just seen an hour before. Quinn replayed the girl gliding across the water in the distance and then smiling as she passed by on her way back to shore. As she tilted her head back and rinsed the conditioner from her hair, Quinn pictured how the surfer girl had looked while she had showered on the beach, arching her back and gently shaking her head as she washed the salt water from her hair. What was it about this girl that has me thinking like this? Quinn thought. Sure, she's beautiful, but still - I haven't been able to get her out of my mind since I saw her. Oh well, Quinn thought – must be that damn magic on this island. A silly island fantasy thousands of miles from home. She laughed to herself as she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She was about to get dressed for dinner when she realized she didn't even know where she was going. Quinn was a foodie, and she enjoyed eating at fine restaurants wherever she was. Fine dining had been part of her plan for this trip, especially since the company was paying for all of her meals, but a thought crossed her mind, and she picked up the hotel phone.

"Good evening, how may I help you?" The concierge's voice came cheerfully through the receiver.

"Hi, um, I'm looking for a restaurant recommendation for dinner tonight", Quinn stated to the concierge.

"Okay, what type of food are you interested in?"

"Local food. Like, I'm looking for a place where a local who lives here would actually go to eat, or maybe to get a drink. Not a touristy place."

"Okay, there's Tiki Bar, which is mostly just drinks and pupus" _Appetizers_ "or there's Sidestreet, which has a full menu of local-style food, as well as a full bar."

Quinn took down the addresses for both places, put them in her phone and thanked the concierge. Both places sounded casual, and from what little she knew of Hawaiian culture, the people here were more casual in general than they were in Chicago, so she skipped over the fancier outfits she had brought, but she still wanted to look presentable. She settled on a white sleeveless top, a peach colored skirt and tan sandals. She did her makeup as to look put-together but not too fancy. She styled her hair so it was half-up and half-down, checked herself one last time in the full-length mirror, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door.

Outside the weather had cooled off a bit but was still warm. 70 degrees at 8pm in April. You couldn't beat that, especially coming from Chicago. Quinn took out her phone and looked at the two places. She wanted a full meal, so she entered the address for Sidestreet into her GPS. It was just a few blocks from the hotel. What am I doing? Quinn thought, as she followed the bouncing dot. This girl's not going to be there. Yes, you are on an island, but Honolulu is still a major city. There's still half a million people living here. This girl may not even live around here. She's clearly local, and you're in tourist central. Get real, Quinn, she told herself. The chances of you running into her are less than winning the lottery. Oh well. At least you can hope to enjoy some good local food and maybe a drink before you go to sleep tonight.

Quinn found Sidestreet and stopped just outside. The entrance was just a regular unmarked door on what was almost the alley side of a somewhat run-down building. There was a small sign above the door that read "Sidestreet", but other than that, no markings to indicate the presence of a restaurant. Wow, Quinn thought. This place seems like it really is for locals only. Definitely not catering to tourists. She paused for a moment and thought about the rumors she had heard of staunch locals roughing up tourists and kicking them out of places that were supposed to be for locals only. She thought about the scene in Blue Crush where the local surfers beat up the star football player because he was surfing in a locals only surfing spot. She stood there for another minute and then straightened her shoulders and decided to go in. You know what? She thought. I can be in here as much as anyone, and as long as I'm respectful no one should mess with me, right?

Quinn entered the restaurant and took in her surroundings. It was small and crowded. The dining area was to the left. The bar was to the right. Quinn looked around at the clientele. Very casual and lots of tan skin. The pidgin accent was abundant. Definitely heavy on locals. She continued to scan the room as she waited for a hostess, when the bartender called out to her.

"Hey, wahine" _Girl_ "food or drinks?"

"Uh, both?" Quinn answered.

"Okay, have a seat over here", he said and motioned to a small table in the bar area. Quinn walked over to the table and felt eyes on her as she sat down. Not menacing stares, but the eyes of people who knew she wasn't local. Quinn thought about leaving but shrugged it off. As long as she didn't come across like a snobby tourist, she had nothing to fear. Also, as a serious foodie, Quinn knew that sometimes, as much as she liked her higher-end restaurants, the best food could often be found at down-home local eateries.

Quinn sat down, and the bartender brought her a menu. She asked for a glass of white wine, and the bartender left to get her drink. Quinn began looking at the menu:

Ahi Poke

Lomi Lomi Salmon

Kamanu with Taro Cakes

Nanakuli Chicken

Kahlua Pork with Mac Salad

…

Quinn didn't know what any of this was. Well, she had heard of some of the items, but she had never had any of them. She finished looking at the short menu, and when she got to the end, she still didn't know what any of the items were. As a somewhat accomplished foodie, that was a rare experience in her life, going to a restaurant and not having eaten a single item on the menu. Only here would that happen, she thought, on an island thousands of miles away. She laughed to herself and then realized the bartender hadn't returned with her glass of wine. She was about look up and call for him when she heard a voice.

"Don't order anything off the menu."

Quinn looked up, and there was the surfer girl. She was a couple inches shorter than Quinn, and she was wearing a dark red sarong dress with a white flower pattern. Her hair was down, and she was wearing lipstick that matched the color of her dress. Quinn opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Ask John John, the bartender, what the fish of the day is", the surfer girl continued. Her voice was low and smooth, and her pidgin accent gave it a sing-song cadence.

"Uh…I don't see that on here", Quinn stammered.

"I know. Like I said, it's not on the menu. But John John's brother is a fisherman. Everyday he goes fishing, and he brings whatever he catches here in the evening", the girl explained. "So, you should ask for whatever the fish of the day is and have that, so then you will have the freshest meal they serve here." She smiled at Quinn, and Quinn's breath caught.

"Oh, okay. Well, thank you", Quinn said and smiled back what she hoped was a smile that could match the surfer girl's. The two women continued to smile at each other for a moment.

"Hey, Lolo, you coming? I'm hungry!" A man's voice interrupted the moment. Quinn looked up to see two men looking at the surfer girl and beckoning her to join them. One was blond with longish bangs and pillowy lips. The one who spoke was darker, with a hard jawline and tattoos covering his arms.

"Well, I gotta go. Those are my friends", the surfer girl said. She reached out and grazed the skin of Quinn's arm with her fingertips. "Enjoy your meal", she said, and then smiled before she turned around to walk away.

"Wait!" Quinn managed to get out. She reached out and touched the surfer girl's arm. The surfer girl turned around and stared at her. "Thank you", Quinn said and smiled back. The surfer girl smiled again and then turned around to walk away.

"Wait!" Quinn said again. The surfer girl turned around again. "Um…when can I…how can I see…can I see you again?" Jesus, Quinn thought to herself. You give presentations to executives for a living, and your stammering like an idiot in front of this local girl. Get it together.

The surfer girl looked at Quinn for a second and then said, "You've found me twice. You'll find me again." She gave Quinn one last smile and then turned around and walked away to join her friends. Quinn's eyes followed her as they took a seat on the other side in the restaurant area. The girl was sitting facing sideways to Quinn, and for the rest of her meal, Quinn looked over periodically. She could see the girl talking and laughing with her friends. She was hoping to catch the girl looking back over. The girl never did.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Later that night, Quinn laid in bed, trying to fall asleep. She usually didn't have trouble falling asleep, and by this time it was almost 2am in Chicago. She should be in dreamland by now, she thought, but she couldn't stop thinking about the surfer girl, so she just let her thoughts drift and take her where they did. The guy had called the surfer girl Lolo. I guess that's her name? Quinn thought. She doesn't look like a Lolo, but people don't always look like their names. She smiled at the fact that she was musing over such a random thought, the random thoughts that you get just before you fall asleep. Her thoughts shifted, and she thought about the girl's lipstick and the jolt of electricity she felt when the girl touched her arm. Then Quinn thought about how the girl's skin felt when she had touched it. It was just the right combination of feminine softness and sun-kissed exterior. Perfect island skin, Quinn thought, and that was the last thought she had before she drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again for all of the feedback, likes, etc. Here is another chapter. I know this story started out mostly with Quinn, but like I said in the beginning, this story does revolve more around her. Again, my first story revolved more around Santana, so I thought it would be fun to switch it up. Also, I largely used just Quinn to set the context for this story, but starting in this chapter there will be more Santana/Quinn interaction, as well as more Santana in general, and that will continue throughout the story.

Chapter 3

The next morning Quinn woke up before the sun rose. She looked at her clock. It was just before 6am. Today was the start of her conference. Her first panel began at 9am. Plenty of time for a morning run before she had to get ready. She got out of bed and started the coffee maker. It was nice having a coffee maker in her room, she thought. Quinn loved her morning coffee and liked to have it before she interacted with anyone. Plus, the Kona coffee that they supplied in the room was delicious. It seemed richer and fuller than the regular stuff back home in Chicago, and for some reason it just tasted more…island-y, Quinn thought. Another nice reminder that she was on a tropical island far from home. She turned on her laptop and started reading through emails. Her friend and co-worker Kitty was covering for her while she was out. Kitty was about a year younger and a level below her on the corporate ladder, although Quinn wasn't her boss. She was smart and ambitious. The two had become friends a few years ago when Kitty had transferred from another company, and they had been working closely together ever since. Quinn liked Kitty as a person, although she thought she could be a little too competitive at times. She did like working with her, though. Perhaps her competitiveness is what made her good at her job. Quinn finished reading through her emails. No emergencies, so that was good. She scanned the news and Facebook and then finished her cup of coffee. Then she put on her running gear and headed out.

Quinn ran east along the beach trail and started up the road that circles Diamond Head crater. It was a 5 mile run that included two stretches of uphill and two stretches of downhill. She got to the top of the first uphill stretch and looked out over the ocean. The morning light was starting to creep in, transforming the water from black to an indigo blue. She could see a few surfers in the water, She thought about Lolo and wondered what she was doing right now. Quinn stared at the water a bit more and then thought, yes – I am definitely going to try surfing while I am here. I may even go swimming this afternoon when I get out of the conference. She took a deep breath and then headed on the next leg of her run.

Quinn arrived back at the hotel around 7am. She took a shower and then put on a white blouse, black skirt, matching black jacket and heels. She put on her makeup and wore her hair down. She wanted to dress business for the first day of the conference. She exited her room and headed to the restaurant in the hotel lobby for breakfast. She looked at the menu and was mulling over the choices, when a thought crossed her mind. What would Lolo order? Quinn asked the waiter for a local's recommendation, and he pointed to Spam Musubi as a traditional local dish. Pan-fried Spam set atop steamed rice molded into balls, then wrapped in _nori, _dried seaweed. Kind of like Spam nigiri sushi. Quinn liked sushi, but she was dubious about this, since she thought of Spam as somewhat unpalatable. Then she thought about Lolo and decided to give it a try. Quinn looked at her phone and checked her schedule for the day while she waited for her breakfast. She was excited for the conference. The speakers were on the cutting edge of digital marketing, and her bringing home and sharing the knowledge that she would learn here would help her movement up the ladder towards a position on the executive staff.

The waiter brought her meal. 2 pieces of Spam Musubi. Quinn picked up one of the pieces and held it in her hand, eyeballing it the way a gem collector might examine a diamond. She picked up her coffee in her other hand as a chaser, just in case she needed it. She took a breath, exhaled and then bit in. She paused for a second after she bit, waiting for the taste to fill her mouth, her coffee chaser at the ready. The combined taste of the pan-fried salted meat, dried seaweed and rice filled her mouth. She sat for another moment and then continued chewing. Well, I'll be damned, Quinn thought. It wasn't bad. It was kind of like eating a Hawaiian version of hot dogs at Wrigley Field back home. She took another bite and thought about what it would be like if Lolo were sitting across the table from her right now. She pictured the surfer girl beaming at her, proud of her _haole _foreignergirlfriend braving the local cuisine. 'Girlfriend?' Quinn thought. Where did that come from? She mused for a second about how quickly Lolo had infiltrated her thoughts, and then she smiled and finished her breakfast.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn looked at her watch as she headed back to her hotel. It was just after 3pm. The first day of the conference had gone well. The panels today had been interesting, especially the panel on the convergence of digital media and its affect on the role of TV in the marketing field. Quinn loved digital things. She had grown up at a time when digital had really started to come into everyday life. She had been ten when the internet had come into household conscience. She had been twenty when Facebook started to become mainstream. A few years later smart phones started to become common devices, and then tablet a few years after that. She was just at that right age where she had been young enough to embrace technology and its rapidly changing advances, but old enough to understand it and be able to forward think with it. She loved her laptop. She loved her smartphone. She loved her iPad. She loved technology and how it enhanced her life. She had found her job online. She did a lot of her work online. She had done a lot of her schoolwork online. She had even set up some dates online. Yes, technology was a wonderful thing, and she was excited to be someone who had her finger on the pulse.

Quinn got back to her hotel room and stepped out onto the balcony. She took in the view and then thought about Lolo and wondered what she was doing right now. Her thoughts turned to the water in front of her. It was time for a swim, she thought. She went back inside and changed into her bathing suit, a green two-piece, the color of which somewhat matched the color of her eyes. She grabbed a towel and her room key and headed down to the beach. She spread out her towel in the sand and then stood and stretched. She looked out at the water. The waves looked gentle and calm. She headed towards the water, and as she neared the surf line she looked back at her towel. Should be safe enough, she thought. Lots of tourists here. Should be a low chance of being robbed. Plus, she didn't have anything valuable with her. She reached the water and stuck her feet in. A little chilly, but she knew she would warm up as soon as she got in and started swimming. She went in up to her knees, then to her waist, then to her chest, and finally up to her neck. She took a deep breath and pushed off the bottom. She swam for maybe 20 seconds and then stopped. Her feet touched the bottom and she looked around her. Behind her was the Waikiki skyline. Before her was the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean. She thought again about Lolo, and then Quinn felt the open ocean calling to her. She pushed off the bottom again and continued to swim out towards the horizon. As she swam, she thought about how swimming felt like gliding, and then she thought about Lolo and how Lolo glided on the waves with her surfboard. She lost herself in her thoughts and kept swimming until she started to feel tired.

Quinn stopped swimming and went to touch her feet to the ground, but instead of feeling bottom she sank. She propelled herself to the surface and looked around. She spotted the shore, which somehow seemingly in a matter of seconds had gone from right behind her to very far away. She started to panic. She took a deep breath and started to swim towards shore, but for some reason she felt like she wasn't going anywhere. She stopped and looked up. She was still in the same place she was before she started swimming back towards shore. She took another deep breath and continued to swim hard. She looked up. No forward progress. She noticed that the waves had gotten bigger and were churning around her head. She started to feel her breath go shallow, and the feeling of panic increased. She's got to be able to make it back, she thought. She knew she wasn't a strong swimmer, but she did know how to swim, she was in good shape, and from what she had read, Waikiki Beach was a safe place for anyone to swim. She took a deep breath, put her head down, and swam hard some more. She looked up. No forward progress. In fact, it looked like she may be even further away from shore now. Her breath quickened to the point of hyperventilation. She tried to slow it down, but as she took a deep breath, she swallowed some water. She coughed and spit it up, but when tried to recover, she swallowed more water. She coughed again, and the feeling of panic started to overwhelm her. The salt water she had swallowed burned her insides, and her chest felt like it was about to explode. This can't be happening, she thought. She started to see blackness creep in on her peripheral vision. She looked towards the shore and tried to yell. She raised her hand, and then she stared to sink. She thought she may have seen a flash of red, and then blackness overtook her world.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn coughed and her eyes fluttered. She was greeted by blinding sun, murmuring voices and something on her forehead. She closed her eyes and coughed again. Her chest burned inside, and her throat stung. She slowly opened her eyes. She was laying flat on her back on the sand. Looking into her eyes was Lolo. She was wearing a red lifeguard uniform and had her hand on Quinn's forehead. A crowd was standing around her. Quinn tried to lift her head and speak but Lolo gently silenced her by putting her finger to Quinn's lips.

"Shhhh", Lolo said as she continued to hold her hand to Quinn's forehead. "Just relax for a minute. Don't try to talk." Her voice calmed Quinn down, and Quinn relaxed and laid her head back down. "That was close. You got pretty far out pretty quickly. Luckily, I saw you as you took off towards the horizon. I saw you swimming into the rip, and I dove in after you before you could get too far."

"W-w-what's a rip?" Quinn asked. Her voice sounded hoarse and gravely. Boy, that's sexy, Quinn thought. Way to make a good impression on this beautiful local girl. You almost drown like a dumb tourist, and now you sound like shit, too. Way to go, Quinn, way to go.

"A rip is another word for current", Lolo explained. "The currents here in Hawaii are very strong, and they're hard to detect unless you know what to look for. Once you're caught in a rip, it's hard to get out of it, and it's impossible to swim against it. That's what happened to you. You got caught in one, and you spent all your energy trying to swim against it, and you got nowhere." She smiled. "Plus, I'm sure you noticed that the waves started to look bigger out there?" Quinn nodded a bit. "Yeah, they always look bigger when you're in them than they do when you're onshore." She smiled again, as if letting Quinn in on a coveted insider's secret.

Quinn cleared her throat and tried to speak. "Well, I don't know what to say, but I'm sorry and thank you." She sat up on her elbows and looked at Lolo. "I'm glad you were there."

"I'm glad I was, too. I actually didn't know it was you until I got near you out there." Lolo smiled. She paused for a moment and then said, "And in case you're worried about looking like a dumb tourist – don't be." Quinn looked shocked. Was Lolo able to read minds? Lolo sensed her thoughts and laughed slightly. "We see this all the time. We pull dozens of people out of the water every day." She smiled. "That's why we're here."

Quinn sat up fully and took a couple deep breaths. She seemed to have returned to normal.

"How are you feeling now?" Lolo asked.

"I think I'm okay", Quinn said, and it was at that point that Quinn noticed that Lolo's hand was still on her forehead. "By the way", Quinn asked, "Is your hand on my forehead helping me to recover?"

Lolo laughed softly. "No. Well, at first I wanted to check to make sure you weren't going cold, but no, it's not doing anything anymore." She smiled slightly and removed her hand. "I just wanted an excuse to keep touching you." Lolo continued to smile and stood up. "Just rest here for a bit, and maybe stay out of the water for the rest of the day."

Quinn smiled at her. Lolo turned to go, and Quinn said, "Hey." Lolo turned back around. "I'm glad you were here for me today. And not just 'you' as in lifeguards in general, but 'you' as in 'you'", she said, and pointed weakly at Lolo and smiled.

Lolo smiled back. "I'm glad I was here too."

Quinn smiled at that, then looked down for a second. She looked back up and said, "Hey, um…can I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Lolo stared at her. Oh God, Quinn thought. What did I do? Did I totally overstep my boundaries? Did I totally misread her interest in me? Did I just hit her out of left field?

As Quinn was firing off questions in her own head, Lolo smiled and said. "Yeah. I'd like that".

Quinn was still so busy firing off questions internally that she almost didn't hear Lolo's response. In what seemed to take a huge mental effort, she quickly put on the breaks in her head and smiled. "Great! What time are you available?"

"I get off work at sundown, so maybe 6:45 or 7?"

"Okay, sounds good". Quinn said. Now, a bit of a sticky question. "So, um, do you want to meet at my room? I mean, I'm staying at this hotel", Quinn motioned behind her, "or do you want to meet in the lobby, or do I need to pick you up? I mean, where do you live? Well, I don't really have a car, but I could get a car for the night, or get a taxi…" Quinn trailed off in nervousness.

Lolo laughed. "Slow down, slow down. Why don't we just meet in the lobby of your hotel? Let's say 7?"

Quinn took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. 7 is good. Oh, where do you want to go?"

"I don't care. You pick it. You're the guest in town." Again, that smile.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked. "I mean, I don't want to pick a place that's too tourist, or too fancy, or not your thing, or…" Quinn trailed off again.

"Dinner is with you, right?" Lolo asked.

Quinn raised her eyebrows. "Well, uh, yeah, I mean-"

She was about to say "of course it is", but Lolo cut her off. "Then I don't care where we go, as long as it's with you", she said and smiled. Quinn smiled back. "Okay, I have to get back to the lifeguard tower now", Lolo said. "Rest up, and I'll see you in the lobby of your hotel at 7."

"Okay, great", Quinn said. Lolo smiled and then turned to walk away. "Wait!" Quinn said before Lolo could get to far. "I'm Quinn, by the way. It's Lolo, right?"

Lolo looked confused. "Lolo?" she asked Quinn.

"Yeah, Lolo. Isn't that your name? I mean, that's what the guy at the restaurant called you last night."

Lolo stared at Quinn for a second and then broke into laughter. "Oh, yeah, that. Right. He's just making fun of me." Quinn looked confused. "See, 'lolo' is a Hawaiian term. It means dumb. My last name is Lopez, so he calls me Lolo." She smiled. "My name is Santana. Santana Lopez." She walked back and stuck her hand out for Quinn to shake.

Quinn took her hand. Again, that skin, a perfect combination of feminine smoothness and sun kissed island exterior. "Nice to meet you, Santana Lopez. My last name is Fabray. Quinn Fabray."

"Nice to meet you, Quinn Fabray. Okay, now I really have to get back. See you in your hotel lobby at 7." Santana smiled one last time and then turned and started to walk away.

"Wait! One last question". Quinn felt like an idiot as she continued to bother Santana, but she just didn't want their time together right now to end. Santana turned around. "You don't…you don't have any slang words in Hawaiian that you can use to make fun of my name, do you?" Quinn stammered a bit but kept on going. "You know, just in case I should know, or be aware of…" Quinn hoped she was coming across as witty and clever.

Santana laughed. "No, Quinn Fabray, we don't. In fact, I don't think many people on this island are even familiar with either your first or last name."

Quinn smiled. "Okay, uh, just checking."

Santana smiled again. "See you at 7", she said one last time, and then turned around and walked away. Quinn waved to her back and followed her with her eyes as she walked back towards the lifeguard tower.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, here's one more chapter. This may be the last one I upload for a day or two, since I will be getting busy with work. I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 4

Quinn headed back to her hotel room. She stripped out of her bathing suit and entered the bathroom. She started the whirlpool tub and sat on the edge while it filled. Quite a day it had been so far, she thought, and it was far from over. At least she hoped it was far from over. When the tub was ready, she climbed in and leaned her head back. Well, she thought - she hadn't had many days like this in her life. Morning run around a volcano, conference with the brightest digital marketing minds in the world, and then almost drowning at the beach outside of her hotel, only to be rescued by her exotic surfer girl. And now, she's got a date with her rescuer in a few hours. Quite a day indeed.

Quinn took her time in the whirlpool bath, letting the water from the jets wipe away the day's strain. She wanted to make sure she was a hundred percent ready to go for the evening, with no lingering side effects from her near-death experience this afternoon. She sat in the tub for almost an hour, and then she got out and toweled herself dry. Now comes the hard part – selecting an outfit for tonight's date. She wanted Santana to know that she had put time and care into her appearance, but she didn't want to appear so dressy as to make her uncomfortable. Again, these islanders aren't as formal as we Chicagoans, Quinn thought again. After trying on three different outfits, she settled on a nice beige dress with a somewhat modest neckline, a wide brown leather belt, and matching slingback heels. She applied her makeup and put on earrings and a necklace. She checked herself in the mirror. Her appearance could have come out of a clothing catalog: the perfect outfit for a first date in an informal setting...like an island vacation. Quinn smiled and looked at her phone. It was ten to seven. She picked up the hotel phone and made a quick call. Then she grabbed her purse, checked herself one last time in the mirror, took a deep breath, and headed downstairs to the lobby.

Quinn arrived downstairs and looked around. She didn't see Santana, so she stood close to the concierge desk. It dawned on her that she hadn't really specified where in the lobby to meet, so she picked a spot that made her spottable to others but also gave her a good vantage point to view the rest of the lobby. Minutes passed and she looked at her phone. 7:15. She wasn't getting nervous about Santana showing up, but an involuntary nervousness had started to kick in. Quinn was punctual. She was known for always being on time, and in fact she usually liked to arrive early if she could. Her friend Rachel always joked that Quinn was the worst person to try to plan a surprise party for. Rachel had tried once, and Quinn had showed up earlier than half of the guests.

Quinn looked at her watch again. 7:22. She was starting to get a bit annoyed. She knew she didn't really have anywhere pressing to be, but she felt that being on time showed respect for other people, and to be late showed the opposite. She thought about calling Santana and started to scroll through her contacts, but then realized that she didn't even have her number.

"Hey." Quinn looked up and saw Santana standing right in front of her, and her breath caught. Santana was wearing a short red dress with gold and blue accents in an Asian pattern and red high heels. Her hair was down and she had a purple and white hibiscus flower tucked in her hair behind her left ear. Gone was the surfer girl and the lifeguard. Standing before her was an islander of rare beauty dressed for a night out on the town. "Sorry I'm late", she said. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

Quinn stood stunned for a moment and then recovered and spoke. "Uh, no…no, not at all. I just came down."

Santana smiled a bit, and then her smile grew wider. "You're lying", she said, through a perfect set of white teeth. "You've been waiting for a while, haven't you?"

Quinn looked down, and then looked back up and smiled shyly. "I've been waiting for about half an hour", she said.

"I'm so sorry again", Santana said. "I had to go home and change, and…well, you know. Uh, we run on island time here." She smiled.

"Island time?" Quinn asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, island time. It's like, things kinda happen when they happen…kinda…" Santana said, trailing off, as if she had explained in as much as she could her excuse for being late.

Quinn just stared at her for a moment, and then smiled. This wasn't the way she would do things back home, but then she realized that she wasn't back home. She was in Santana's home, and when in Rome, well, you do what the Romans do." Look, it's no big deal. I mean, it's not like we have to be anywhere at a specific time tonight."

"Now you're starting to sound like an islander", Santana said and smiled at her.

"Well, it's not usually how I operate, but in your case, I'll make an exception". Quinn flirted with the idea of touching Santana's arm. She reached out and instead her hand touched the flower in Santana's hair. "Plus, you look…" Quinn let it trail off.

"I clean up nice, huh?" Santana said and laughed. Quinn nodded. She wanted to speak but she couldn't think of the right words, so she went with not saying anything, and instead she ran her finger over the flower in Santana's ear. Santana looked up towards the flower and said, "It's a hibiscus. They're native to Hawaii. You like?"

"It's...beautiful", Quinn said. "And, it looks beautiful on you." Quinn looked at Santana, and Santana stood still. She has the most amazing green eyes, Santana thought.

"So, um, where did you decide we are going?" Santana asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"Oh, um, well, I thought we could decide together. I called down here, and asked for three recommendations, and they gave me three choices". Quinn rattled off the three choices and Santana said she hadn't been to any of them. "Okay, how about Roy's? It's like Hawaiian style fusion cuisine", Quinn said. She looked at Santana and saw the blank look on her face. "Or, something like that." Santana just looked back. "Uh, is that okay with you?" Quinn asked.

Santana stared for a minute longer and then laughed. "Yeah, it sounds great."

"Are you sure?" Quinn said. "Because, you were just staring at me like I had two heads".

Santana laughed again. "No, I was staring at you because I was enjoying watching you formulate how to tell me what kind of cuisine this place serves." She smiled and lightly touched Quinn's arms to show her she was just teasing. "Of course, I've heard of Roy's, even though I've never been there. It's a famous place here. And", Santana said, as she looked down and then looked up, "even if I didn't want to go there, I would have gone anyway, if that's where you wanted to go." She looked into Quinn's eyes. "I told you, as long as dinner's with you, I don't care where we go."

Quinn looked into Santana's eyes. She has the most amazing dark brown eyes, Quinn thought. I could just fall right into them. She snapped herself out of her thought and smiled back. "Alright then, Roy's it is. Shall we?" She held out her arm for Santana to loop hers through, and the two ladies walked out of the hotel lobby.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So, how was your meal at Sidestreet last night?" Santana asked. They were at a nice table for two towards the back of the restaurant with a view of the ocean drive.

"It was great. I mean, the fish was amazing. I think John John said it was mahi mahi."

"Sounds about right. The mahi mahi are most abundant in the spring and the fall. We catch a lot of them right now."

"Well, they're delicious" Quinn said, "So I hope that continues, at least while I'm here." She smiled. "So, who were your friends last night?"

"Oh, the blonde one is Sam. We've been friends since I got here. He was one of the first people I met. He's a good fisherman. He also a surfer, and he does some modeling work for some of the local swimwear and surfing companies. The bigger, darker guy with the tattoos is Pukahana. We call him Puck for short. He's a local surfing bad boy. He runs a posse of surfers called KP – Kama'aina Patrol. Kama'aina means 'from the island' - locals. The KP patrol the waters when the surf gets big, to make sure that everyone paddling out understands the lineup rules and follows them."

"I have no idea what you just said", Quinn said and smiled.

Santana smiled back. "Okay, so it's like this. When the surf gets big here, the waves can get huge. I mean, really huge, like 30 or 40 feet tall. That's like a three or four story building of water coming at you, ready to drop on top of you. Now, when the surf gets big, everyone wants to surf it. So, you've got big waves and lots of surfers waiting to catch them. That's called the lineup, the surfers waiting to catch the waves, because they line up in the water waiting for the waves to come in. Now, think of it like this: what if you were trying to surf a big wave like that, and all of a sudden someone else charges in front of you…I mean, cuts you off. So, you get cut off, maybe get hit in the head with a surfboard, you fall off your own board, and you fall three stories down. Maybe your own board falls on top of you. Then, that three stories of water that you just fell down off of comes crashing down on top of you. Think of how that would feel."

"Ouch", Quinn said. She thought about how she almost drowned earlier today, and then tried to imagine what it would feel like in that situation. She shuddered a bit at the thought. "So, what exactly does the KP do?"

"Well, they let everyone know how things operate when you're out there in the surf, and if someone doesn't adhere to the rules, they let them know", Santana said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How exactly do they let them know?"

"Well, they take them out of the water and they remind them."

Quinn thought about that for a second, and then a thought crossed her mind. "Wait..is it like in the movie Blue Crush, where the local guys beat up the football player for surfing in a locals only surfing spot? Wait – have you even seen that movie? Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Santana laughed. "Yes, Quinn, I've seen that movie, and I do know what you're talking about. Puck and Sam actually had small parts in that movie. Yes, it is kind of like that, but no, they don't just beat people up for no reason." She smiled and then her eyes turned serious. "Look, when you're out there in the water, there are no laws. Well, no official laws. There are no police. It's not like driving, where there are set laws and police to enforce them. We have to make our own laws, and people need to abide by them. If not, people get hurt. I mean, you almost drowned today in 2 foot waves in a small rip current near shore. Imagine how it would have felt to be surfing half a mile offshore, knocked in the head by a surfboard and then dropped into waves and current 10 times that size and magnitude."

"Wow, I never thought of it like that. That is serious". Quinn shuddered again, and Santana saw it.

"Look, I don't mean to bring up what happened this afternoon to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but that's why we have people like Puck and the KP. To make sure that doesn't happen. Throwing a few punches to an offender on the sand in plain view of everyone may seem barbaric, but it's better to send a reminder that way than have five people drown because someone did something ignorant in heavy surf."

"I get it." Quinn paused for a second to take a sip of water and then said, "Well, on the lighter side of things, I would like to try surfing while I'm here. Just maybe not where Puck is patrolling", she said, and both she and Santana laughed.

"You know, Puck and his crew are good guys. They've had friends die out there, so they take safety in the lineup seriously." Santana paused and then resumed. "Think of it this way – Puck and his crew may throw some punches, but they know when to stop. A 30 foot wave isn't going to stop just because you tell it that you're sorry and that you won't screw up again."

The two women went silent for a moment, and then the waiter came to take their order.

"You first", Quinn offered.

"No – I want you to order for me", Santana said. She looked at Quinn and crinkled her eyes.

"Wait, what?" Quinn had never had anyone say that to her on a first date. "How do I know I won't get something you don't like?"

"You don't", Santana said matter-of-factly, "But I looked at the menu, and I eat everything on it. She smiled. "I'm willing to take the chance." She leaned in. "This is a chance to see if we make a connection."

"Okay, if you insist". Quinn said. Must be part of that Hawaiian culture, she thought. Quinn ordered Macadamia crusted _Ono_ Wahoo for Santana and _Opakapaka_ Pink Snapper with a soy-ginger glaze for herself. Santana said she was fine with water to drink. Quinn thought about getting a glass of wine, but after today's events she thought she should maybe stick with water as well.

"I love Ono", Santana said as the waiter left. "Good choice".

"I'm glad" Quinn said, and tried to inconspicuously breathe out a sigh of relief. "That was a bit nerve-racking, hoping I got you something you like."

"Well, you did. So thank you. See, we made a connection", Santana said and smiled.

Quinn smiled and then change the subject. "So, you alluded to the fact that you moved here. Where are you from originally?"

Santana paused and then smiled. "No. I want to hear about you first. I've monopolized the conversation so far. It's your turn."

Quinn paused for a moment and then started in. "Okay, well, I grew up down the street from here, near Diamond Head."

"Mauka or makai of the crater?" Santana asked.

"Huh?"

"Okay, now I know you're not from here."

Quinn kept a straight face for a second and then laughed. "Okay, okay I'm not from here. But, how could you tell?"

Santana laughed. "Well, because one, you didn't know what mauka or makai meant."

"What do they mean?"

"Mauka means 'towards the mountain', and makai means 'towards the ocean'. They're used as directions, like north or south", Santana explained. So, I was asking you if you grew up north of the crater or south of the crater. It was also a bit of a trick question, though, since if you had just taken a guess and answered makai, that would have meant that you grew up in the ocean, since the crater is pretty much on the ocean."

"Well, I could have been a mermaid", Quinn joked.

"Maybe", Santana said. "You have the green eyes of one."

Quinn smiled at that and then thought for a minute. "Wait, do mermaids have green eyes?"

"I don't know", Santana laughed. Then she got serious. "But, you do have beautiful eyes."

Quinn felt her cheeks flush. "Thank you", she said. She felt her heart flutter a bit and tried to calm it down. "So, um, how else did you know I wasn't from here?

"Okay, well, two, you're way too pale to be from here."

"True, but how did you know I didn't grow up here and then move away a few years ago?"

"Well, because three…in addition to you not knowing some words that all locals know…well, let's just say that I can spot a _haole_."

"Haole?" Quinn asked and raised her eyebrows.

"It means foreigner. Well, the original meaning is 'outsider', but nowadays it refers more to foreigners, white folks, tourists."

"Got it", Quinn said. "Well, you got me." They both laughed. "I guess the charade is up. I'm from Chicago. Well, the Chicagoland area. I was born and raised on the north shore of Chicago, in a suburb called Winnetka."

"The north shore?" Santana said. "That's funny – we have a north shore here, too. It's on the north side of the island. It's where all of the big surfing tournaments are held each winter."

"Really? Wow, that's…a crazy coincidence." Another connection we made, Quinn thought. She didn't really believe in coincidences, but maybe they, like magic, existed on this island. "Anyway, I graduated high school from there and then went to college at the University of Illinois. When I graduated college I moved back to Chicago. I got a job pretty much right away when I got back, and I've been working ever since."

"Okay, and why are you here in Hawaii?" Santana asked. She was enjoying this, getting to know this haole beauty in front of her. Truth be told, she had wanted to talk with Quinn more last night at Sidestreet, but Puck was getting antsy to eat, and you didn't want Puck to get antsy.

"I work in marketing. Digital marketing. The company I work for sent me here to attend a global marketing conference being held at the convention center." The convention center was about a mile from Quinn's hotel.

"Oh. Digital marketing. Like, internet stuff?"

"Yeah, that's part of it. Internet, digital TV, mobile technology, tablet…anything in the digital realm."

"Cool", Santana said, a little lost. "I mean, I don't really know much about that kind of stuff. I use my phone mostly to check the surf report and call my friends and family."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, that's what most people use their phone for." Quinn took a sip of her water. "So, now it's your turn. You said you moved here. When did you move here? How did you end up here? I want to know all that good stuff", Quinn said, as she gazed at Santana across the candle on the table.

"My family has been here for a few generations", Santana explained. "We can trace our lineage back to the Spanish, who colonized the Phillipines. Filipinos started coming to Hawaii in the early 1900s. There are a lot of Filipino people here."

"Okay, that's interesting. But how did _you_ end up here, if you weren't born here? I mean, this place is pretty far away from…well, anything."

"Well, far away is all relative. I mean, to me, you live pretty far away. I'm right here." Santana jockeyed back.

"Right, I get that. I mean, like, did you move here with your family? Was your father in the military? I know there are a lot of military people here in Hawaii", Quinn rattled off, before she realized she was talking too much and not letting Santana answer.

"I moved here about 15 years ago, when I was in high school. I have an aunt who lives here, so I lived with her until I graduated high school, and then I got my own place. I've been working here and there ever since. I've been a lifeguard, a deckhand on fishing boats, I've worked in bars, restaurants, surf shops, I've taught surf lessons, you name it."

"Wow. Sounds…like you've done a lot of different stuff." Live sure is different here on the islands, Quinn thought. I've had a career and one job since I graduated college. Also, Quinn thought, there's something in Santana's answers about where she's from that's a bit…I don't know…evasive maybe? She decided to ask one more time. "How about your parents? Do they live here too, or do they live back home, wherever you're from?"

Something came over Santana's eyes. A sadness maybe. Quinn saw it and immediately knew something was wrong, that she had hit on something that she shouldn't have. She started to reach across the table to put her hand on Santana's, but stopped herself. Instead, she just said, "Santana – you don't have to answer, and I'm sorry if I asked a sensitive question."

Santana looked straight at Quinn. "No, it's okay." She exhaled a deep breath. "I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. My parents and I lived just outside the city. When I was fifteen, my parents went to Fiesta San Antonio. It's a big festival that the city puts on every year. We lived just outside the city, so my parents drove in for the evening. When they were driving home, they were hit by a drunk driver. He walked away. My parents didn't." Santana paused and then continued. "My aunt, who lives here, came to San Antonio to arrange the funeral and take care of legal stuff. Then she sold the house we had there, and she brought me here. I finished up high school here, and I haven't left the island since."

"Santana", Quinn said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I mean, it sucks, but you can't change the past." Santana eyes misted over for a second, and then they refocused and she looked straight at Quinn. "I've lived half my life without my parents, and although I miss them every day, life just has to go on." She looked down for a second and then looked back up. "I'm sorry to get emotional in front of you. I just haven't talked to anyone about this in a while."

The waiter returned with their meals. They sat in silence for a minute and ate. Quinn spoke first. "Santana", she said, and Santana looked up. "Thank you for sharing." Quinn smiled at the raven haired beauty sitting across the table from her.

Santana stared at her for a moment, and then smiled slightly. "I haven't shared anything yet", she said, lifting a forkful of ono in the air.

Quinn laughed, as she realized Santana was trying to lighten the mood. "No, I meant your story, your past. But, I would like to share meals, if you want to…"

"Of course", Santana said. She cut off a piece of ono and put on Quinn's plate, then she speared a piece off Quinn's opakapaka with her fork. Quinn watched her and smiled. Santana's motions seemed so natural, as if they had been sharing meals together for a long time.

"How about you? Do your parents still live in Chicago, or on the north shore of Chicago?" Santana asked, as she ate the piece of fish she had taken from Quinn's plate. "God, that sounds weird for me to say, the north shore of Chicago."

Quinn smiled at that last comment, and then her tone turned serious. "No. My father passed away when I was 17."

"Oh", Santana said, and stopped chewing. "Sorry to hear. Should we…stop talking about this? I feel like this is two downers right in a row."

Quinn laughed lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood. "No, it's fine. He was a trader on the stock exchange in downtown Chicago. He was making good money, but it's a stressful job. He started drinking a lot, and then he started making bad decisions. One day he inadvertently made a horrible decision, and it ended up costing him a fortune. Well, it ended up costing all of us a fortune. He had a stroke right there on the trading room floor. He died instantly. The funeral was a week later. The week after that, the legal proceedings started, and my mother found out that we didn't have nearly as much money as we thought we had. My father's bad investments had basically left us with nothing. Here we were, living in a half million dollar house, with literally not a dime to our name. It was like living in a hollow shell. My mom and I ended up moving into an apartment in a less expensive part of town. I finished off high school and then went to U of I because it was cheaper than going to Yale, which is where I had wanted to go. I graduated in three and a half years to try to save money, and I studied hard, so I could get the best job possible, one that would make me good money, so I or no one I loved would ever have to go through what I went through after my father died."

Santana just sat there for a moment and then said, "Wow. I'm sorry to hear." The table fell silent for a second and then Santana said, "Jesus, listen to us, 2 heartbreak kids with heartbreak stories." She looked around the room and raised her voice. "Best first date ever!" A few heads turned. She laughed, breaking the tension, and Quinn laughed with her.

"You know, Quinn, I think what we experience influences who we are and what we do, and the bottom line for me these days is that…well…I just roll with it", Santana said, as she cut another piece of ono for Quinn and helped herself to another bite of Quinn's opakapaka. "I learned that you never know when life is going to go sideways on you, so I stopped planning and started just living. I've been doing that since the day I got here, and I haven't looked back. Nowadays I just go with the flow. Kinda like surfing – I just go where the wave takes me." She smiled.

"I can see that", Quinn said. "I think I went the other way, though." I thought I had security, and when my father passed away, he left us with nothing. Now I just want to make sure that I'm secure, my mother is secure, and if I ever have a wife and children, that they are secure. That's what drives me more than anything these days."

"I can see that, too." Santana said. "I just don't live like that. But, maybe I should start living more like that. Maybe the answer is somewhere in the middle."

"Well, maybe you're right. And maybe I can learn something from you." Quinn said. She looked straight at Santana over the candlelight and smiled.

Santana returned her gaze and smiled back. "Maybe we can learn something from each other."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After dinner Quinn and Santana walked arm in arm back to Quinn's hotel. Santana played tour guide, pointing out shops and other points of interest to Quinn. Quinn made a mental note to visit some of the places while she was here in Hawaii. They got back to the front of the lobby and stopped to face each other.

"So, um, I still want to try surfing sometime", Quinn said. She looked at Santana. "Would you um…maybe you can teach me? I can pay you for the lessons", she said and smiled.

Santana smiled back. "I'd love to teach you. And the money's not necessary. When do you want to start?"

Quinn thought about that. She was supposed to attend some panels tomorrow, but, as much as she was enjoying the conference, the thought of spending more time with Santana was much more appealing. "How about tomorrow?" she asked.

"Okay. I'm free in the morning. How about I come by around 8?"

"Sounds good", Quinn said. She looked down for a moment, and then looked back up into Santana's eyes. "Do you, um…do you want to maybe come up for a drink?"

Santana held Quinn's gaze and then smiled slightly. "Yes, I do. But not tonight. Some other time. Sometime soon." She took Quinn's hands in hers and locked their fingers. "Get some rest", she said. "You're going to need it."

"Okay", Quinn said. She was a bit disappointed. She wasn't necessarily expecting to bed Santana tonight on their first date, but she was hoping to prolong their time together tonight a bit longer.

Santana sensed her disappointment, and she leaned in to Quinn. "I had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you".

Quinn's heart skipped a beat. She could smell Santana's perfume and could feel Santana's breath on her. "No, thank you for coming out with me", Quinn said. "Look, I completely understa-" she was about to start babbling when Santana leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips. Quinn felt their lips press together, and she closed her eyes. They stayed locked for a few seconds, and then Santana pulled away. They stared into each others' eyes for another moment longer, and then Santana took a step back. She took the flower out of her ear and handed it to Quinn. Quinn took it, her fingers trembling.

"Goodnight, Quinn. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Santana leaned in one more time. She kissed Quinn again on the lips, then smiled, turned around and walked away. Quinn stood there, watching her walk down the street, her heart fluttering, and her head filled with thoughts of Santana's perfume and the kisses they just shared.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Quinn woke up to the sound of her phone alarm. It was just after 6am. Her eyes fluttered open, and she turned off the alarm and laid back down in her bed. She hadn't slept well, due to a combination of excitement about trying surfing and replaying her date with Santana over and over again. She laid in bed for a few more minutes and then switched on the light on the end table next to her bed. As she did, she noticed the flower that Santana had given her. She had put it on the pillow next to her, before she had gone to bed. She picked it up, closed her eyes and smelled it, breathing in the combined scent of the flower itself and Santana's shampoo and perfume. She smiled, exhaled and then got out of bed.

Quinn had her morning coffee and checked her emails, then rescheduled her panels to the afternoon to accommodate her morning surfing lesson. She took a quick shower just to help herself wake up and then started getting dressed. She put on her swimsuit, and then over it threw on a white and yellow sundress. She wore an old pair of brown sandals, and she made a mental note to maybe pick up a pair of _zoris _flip flops that the islanders are so fond of. She applied some light makeup, grabbed her purse and left the room.

Quinn was waiting in the lobby near the concierge desk. She looked at her watch. It was a bit after 8am. Quinn figured Santana would be running late, but she wanted to be early herself anyway, so she got to the lobby around 7:45. She looked at her phone and then realized that she still didn't have Santana's number. She made a mental note to ask for it sometimes today.

"Hey!" Santana called out. Quinn looked up and saw her at the front entrance on the street side of the hotel lobby. She was wearing just a bikini bottom and another one of those waterproof shirts. Quinn started walking towards her, and a thought crossed her mind. Do I kiss her right now? What's the protocol on that? What's going on between us? Quinn started firing off questions and then stopped herself. One thing at a time, Quinn, she thought.

"Hi", Quinn said as she approached Santana. She was still trying to figure out if she should kiss her, but Santana answered that question by leaning in and initiating the kiss. She pressed her lips to Quinn's and held them there for a delicious moment and then pulled back. Quinn's heart skipped a beat yet again.

"So, did you sleep well?" Santana asked.

"Um, not really", Quinn said and then laughed. "I was really excited for my surfing lesson today." Quinn wanted to tell Santana that the main reason she didn't sleep well was because she was thinking of her, but she decided that might be laying it on a little too thick, so she kept that to herself.

"So, are you ready?" Santana asked, and motioned to her car.

Quinn looked over at Santana's car and noticed that there were two surfboards on the rack. She paused for a second, and then said, "Wait – we're not going here?" Quinn motioned towards the beach out back from her hotel.

"No, I have a better spot. The waves are better, and it's a bit more out of the way, so it's much less crowded", Santana explained. "Its not too far away. C'mon." She smiled and got in her car.

Quinn stuck one leg in and then said, "Wait…Puck's not going to be there, is he?" She looked over at Santana and then smiled.

Santana laughed. "No, Quinn. Puck's not going to be there". Quinn laughed back and got in the car. Santana fired up the engine and the drove off.

They pulled up to Santana's spot 10 minutes later. It was a small stretch of beach just east of Diamond Head. Santana got out and started to grab the surfboards. Quinn started to take off her sundress, and then looked at Santana.

"Hey, what's that called?" Quinn asked, motioning to Santana's top.

"Oh, it's called a rash guard. It keeps the sun off you and keeps your chest from getting a rash, which can happen from laying down on the board for long periods of time. I have an extra. Do you want to wear it?"

Quinn smiled. "Will it help me surf better?"

Santana laughed. "No, unfortunately not, but it will help to protect that lovely skin of yours."

Quinn blushed a little and then said, "Yeah. I'd love to borrow it. Thanks."

Santana smiled, went back into her car, and got the extra rash guard. It was while with pink letters that said 'Billabong'. She handed it to Quinn.

"Thanks. Is there a place I can change?"

"You can change right here."

"Uh, Santana, we're out in the open right now".

"I know, but no one's around." Quinn hesitated. "How, this – I will stand guard for you, and if I see anyone I'll holler. Sound good?" Santana smiled.

"Um, okay, I guess", Quinn said. Santana turned around to face the road, and Quinn quickly removed her bikini top. Santana quickly scanned the road and then turned back around. She caught Quinn right as she was pulling the rash guard down over her face. She's beautiful, Santana thought. Quinn's head popped out of the top, and she stared at Santana. "Santana! You're supposed to be watching the road for me!"

"I know, but the view was better over here", Santana said and smiled.

Quinn stared for another second longer, and then she shook her head and smiled shyly. "Okay, well, thanks for the vigilant lookout", she said sarcastically.

Santana smiled. "How does it fit?"

"It fits good, I think. Okay, I'm ready to go."

"Alright. Here's your board", Santana said, as she handed Quinn one of the surfboards. She grabbed the other and said, "Follow me." They headed out from the parking lot across the grass towards the beach. Santana stopped on the grass right before they reached the sand. She laid her board down on the grass, and Quinn did the same.

"Okay", Santana said. "Learning to surf starts before you even get in the water. The first thing you need to do is stretch. You're going to be using muscles you didn't even know you had", she said and smiled.

Santana started stretching, and Quinn mirrored her movements. "Really stretch your shoulders", Santana told Quinn. "You'll be doing a lot of paddling today."

They stretched for a few minutes, and then Santana moved on to the next step.

"Okay, the next thing to do is look at the waves. Before you even get in the water, you need to understand what's happening out there." Quinn nodded in understanding. After yesterday's happenings, she definitely understood the value in that.

Santana took Quinn's hand and pulled her closer, then turned her towards the water. "Look out there. Look at the waves". Santana motioned with her free hand. Look how they move. Look at the speed at which they move, the direction they move, where they start breaking, how they break, and where they loose steam and fizzle out". She looked at Quinn.

"Uh, I think I get it", Quinn said.

Santana laughed. "Don't worry, you don't have to memorize this or become a wave reading expert in 5 minutes. And there's no test later." Quinn laughed, and Santana leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "So, we will paddle out to there", she said and pointed with her free hand, "and then we will ride the waves in". She traced an invisible line to indicate their path of travel.

"Got it", Quinn said, anxious to get in the water. She let go of Santana's hand and went to grab her board. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down, Quinn." Santana laughed. "We're not done on land yet."

"Okay, uh, what's next?" Quinn asked, confused. "I mean, don't we have to be in water to surf?"

"Yeah, we do, but you have to learn to stand up on the board first. And you learn that by first practicing on land." Santana motioned to the boards. "Go ahead and lie down on the board." Quinn did. "Scoot back a bit. Good, there you go. That's where you want to be." Santana got onto her board as well. "Now, probably the hardest thing to learn when you first try surfing is to learn how to pop up on your board".

"Huh?" Quinn said.

"Pop up. It's the action of pushing yourself up on your board and landing on both feet at the same time. Surfboards are finicky. They're unstable, so if you land with one foot before the other, you will tip over and fall. And, even if you land with both feet, it's still hard to maintain your balance and remain standing."

"Got it." This might be trickier than I had anticipated, Quinn thought.

"Okay, watch me." Santana counted to three, and then popped herself up on her board to a crouched position. "Okay, you try it", she told Quinn.

Santana counted to three, and Quinn popped up. Not band, Santana thought. She had Quinn repeat the action about a dozen times, giving her slight instruction and plenty of encouragement each time.

"Okay, ready to get in the water?" Santana asked.

"Yup, I think so", Quinn said.

"Grab your board, and let's take one last look at the water", Santana said. Quinn grabbed her board and stood next to Santana. "The water can change quickly", Santana said, as she scanned the ocean in front of her. "Now, do you notice how the waves don't come at regular intervals?"

"Yeah".

"Waves rarely do. They come in twos, or threes, or fives, or whatever. Then they'll die down, and there will be no waves for a bit. That's called sets. When waves come, they come in sets."

"Got it".

"Okay, you ready?" Santana asked and smiled. Quinn nodded. "Okay, take the leash and wrap the velcro around your ankle. This will keep the board with you in case you fall off." Quinn copied Santana and attached the leash to her ankle.

"Okay, follow me!" Santana ran into the water and jumped on her board and started paddling. Quinn watched her for a second and then followed suit, mimicking her movements. It was amazing, she thought. She felt like she was gliding on water. She paddled with her arms, mimicking Santana, who was about ten feet in front of her. Santana looked back and smiled. Quinn smiled back. They paddled for about two minutes, and then Santana stopped. Quinn stopped as well.

"Okay, so here we are. This is what they call the takeoff spot. We are going to sit here and wait until a good set of waves comes in."

"Okay", Quinn said. "Wow, this is beautiful", she said, as she stared out towards the horizon and felt the swell gently rising and falling underneath her.

"Look around you. This is a view that not many people get, and great views are part of the beauty of surfing."

Quinn looked around. She could see the beach behind them, and behind that the mountains in the distance. She watched the beach fade off into the distance as she turned herself slowly in the water, and then she looked out again into the open ocean. She sat transfixed for a few moments, and then Santana's voice brought her back.

"Okay, Quinn, here comes a set", Santana said. Quinn could see the waves start to form about 100 feet from her. "Now, for this first ride, don't stand up. Just get used to the feeling of the wave taking you, and just ride it lying down on your board. Got it?"

"Yup".

"Okay, turn around. Good, now start paddling." Quinn started to paddle. "Go Quinn, go!" Quinn kept paddling, and then she felt it. The wave surged beneath her, and a weightless feeling overcame her, like she was floating for a second or two. Then she felt the power of the wave beneath her as it carried her towards shore. Quinn rode it until she heard Santana call her back, and then she turned around, and started paddling back out.

"How'd it feel?" Santana said, like she already knew the answer to that question.

"Amazing", Quinn said. She couldn't believe the feeling, that feeling of floating, of weightlessness, of power, that she had just experienced. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, and she wanted to feel it again.

"Okay, next time – you're standing up", Santana said, and smiled enticingly. "Here comes another set. Ready?" Quinn nodded. "Okay, paddle!" Quinn started to paddle. "Go Quinn! Paddle!" Quinn heard Santana yelling and kept paddling. "Okay, pop! Quinn, pop up!"

Quinn pushed herself up and did her best to land with both feet on the board at the same time. She did, and the floating feeling that she had felt while lying down was amplified tenfold now that she was standing. I'm doing it, she thought. I'm really doing it! She smiled wide and went to look back at Santana, and that's when it happened. She felt the board tip towards the right. She tried to tip it back towards the left, but she overcompensated, and she went flying off the board and landed on her back in the water. She shook head underwater and popped up to the surface. She wiped the water out of her eyes. She looked around, and saw Santana paddling towards her, smiling broadly.

"Hey, that was pretty good for your first time."

"I was standing", Quinn said. "I was actually standing! Wait – how long was I standing for?"

"About four seconds", Santana said.

"That's it?"

"Yeah. I mean, really, that's pretty good for your first try. Some people, it takes dozens of tries for them to get it. Some people, they never get it at all. Trust me – I've taught surfing lessons to hundreds of people. So, when I say that was good for a first try, then it was." Santana smiled at Quinn encouragingly. Quinn smiled back, and thought about how good it felt that her island girlfriend thought she was doing well at something that mattered to Santana so much. There we go with the girlfriend thing again, Quinn thought. She shook it off and followed Santana back out. They reached the takeoff area again, sat and waited.

"Hey, come here", Santana said. Quinn paddled over to her. "I'm going to show you a trick that will help you remain standing. Here, put your board parallel to mine". Quinn did, and as she did, Santana leaned in and kissed her lips. Quinn closed her eyes, and felt the feelings of the kiss mix with the gentle rising and falling of the swell beneath her. Santana opened the kiss a bit, and Quinn felt Santana's tongue push slightly into her mouth. They continued like that for another ten seconds, and then Santana pulled back gently. Quinn opened her eyes, and Santana smiled at her.

"There, that should help", Santana said softly. Quinn smiled. Santana continued to stare at Quinn for another moment, and then she looked around. "Okay, looks like we're on", Santana said as she spotted another set. "Okay, Quinn, here we go again. Paddle! Go Quinn!" Quinn paddled and she felt the wave start to take her. "Pop!" She heard Santana yell, and she pushed herself up. There it was again, the floating feeling, and then she felt the power of the wave under her, propelling her towards shore. Keep calm, Quinn told herself, focus, stay up. She spread her arms for balance, concentrated on the feeling of the wave beneath her board and tried not to shift her weight so she wouldn't fall. She heard Santana whooping in the distance, and she told herself not to look back. I'm doing it, Quinn thought. I'm really doing it! This time I'm really doing it! Quinn's body tingled with elation, and she rode the wave until she felt it lose steam and peeter out underneath her. She laid back down on her board and started paddling back out. Santana had been following Quinn in, and they met halfway.

"I did it!" Quinn shouted with joy.

"Yay! Q - You were great!" Santana shouted back. "How do you feel?"

"Amazing", Quinn said, as she registered not only the feeling but also the fact that Santana had just called her Q. Are we at nicknames now? She thought. She thought she would respond in kind. "I can't describe the feeling, San", Quinn said.

"And you know what? You never will be able to", Santana said, registering that Quinn had just returned the nickname status. She smiled. "And you know what? That's okay. It doesn't matter. You don't need to be able to."

Quinn paddled closer to Santana. She puller her board parallel to Santana's and drew her face close. "Thank you", Quinn said, and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met, and Quinn instantly deepened the kiss. The stayed lip-locked for over a minute, as the swell gently rose and fell underneath them. Quinn was trying to figure out a way to further the action, and was considering trying to climb onto Santana's surfboard. She wasn't if that would make it tip over, but she was about to try, when all of a sudden a wave splashed over both of them. The kiss was broken, and both women went toppling off their boards. Santana came up first, laughing loudly, followed by Quinn, who did the same.

"Wow, talk about ruining the moment", Quinn said and laughed.

"Totally", Santana agreed. "By the way, we're in a bad spot here. We should move back out. That is, if you want to still keep surfing?"

"Hell yeah!" Quinn said. "But, later, I do want to get back to what we were just doing". She looked at Santana, who looked back.

"So do I", she said and smiled. "So do I".

They spent the rest of the morning in the water, taking turns catching waves. Quinn was ecstatic. Surfing was like nothing she had ever done before. Santana was impressed with how quickly Quinn had picked it up, and she was smitten with the fact that this haole girl who she was quickly falling for was enjoying something that she herself was so passionate about. Another connection, Santana thought. They got out of the water shortly before 11am and headed back towards Quinn's hotel.

"So, what are you doing the rest of the day?" Santana asked Quinn as they pulled up to the front of Quinn's hotel.

"I don't know", Quinn sighed. "I feel like I should go attend some panels at this conference. I mean, I'd rather spend the rest of the day with you, but it's like, I am enjoying the panels, and my company did send me here to go do that, and not to spend all of my time with my beautiful Hawaiian surfer girl-"

Santana leaned in and cut Quinn off with a kiss. Santana ran her tongue across Quinn's bottom lip, and then across her top one as well. Quinn froze, mouth slightly open, and then she opened the kiss and pushed her tongue gently into Santana's mouth. Santana's hand went to the back of Quinn's head, and she pulled her in while their tongues danced. They stayed locked like that for another minute, and then Santana pulled away.

"Stay with me, Q." Santana said, as she looked at Quinn with her deep brown eyes. "Spend the day with me."

Quinn looked at her, emotions swirling, breath caught in her throat. "Okay. W-w-what are we going to do?" She asked.

"I have something I want to do with you", Santana said. "Please – just spend the day with me."

Quinn looked down, and then looked back up. There was nothing more she would like than that, but her head and heart were starting to swim with emotions. She had known this woman less than 48 hours, and already she was starting to not be able to imagine life without her. Part of her wanted to take a break, to get back to being focused on what she came to Hawaii for, but part of her was being pulled towards Santana by something stronger. Like the pull of the ocean, she just couldn't resist. She looked back up into Santana's eyes. "Okay", Quinn said in a breathy voice. "I'm all yours for today".

Santana stared at Quinn for a moment with her deep brown eyes and then smiled. "Awesome. I promise, you'll love it". At that Quinn smiled, and they drove away.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you all for the feedback, likes, etc. To answer a few questions:

I did grow up in Hawaii.

This story will have some twists and turns.

There has not been much conflict yet, but it is coming.

Also, this may be the last update I post for a day or two. I'm getting busy at work. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the story.

Chapter 6

Santana and Quinn drove from Quinn's hotel to a local plate lunch place. They took their orders to go and then got back into Santana's car. They drove west along Ala Moana Boulevard out of Waikiki, and then Santana pulled off and parked. Quinn looked around and saw boats. Lots of boats.

"San, where are we?" Quinn asked.

"Kewalo Basin. It's the largest small boat marina on Oahu."

"And, what are we doing here?"

"You said you liked mahi mahi, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's go get some!" Santana smiled, put on her sunglasses, grabbed their lunches and got out of the car. Quinn put on her sunglasses and followed. They walked along the marina until they came to a boat towards the end of the dock.

"Wow, San. Is this yours?" Quinn asked, excitedly. She was staring at a 31 foot Bertram, one of the most iconic offshore fishing boats ever made. Quinn didn't know that – she just thought the boat looked cool and was impressed that Santana owned one.

"Ha! I wish. No, John John's brother owns it", Santana explained. "He lets me use it when he's not out fishing himself. This", she exclaimed and pointed to the name on the back of the boat "is Malia."

"Wow", Quinn said again. She thought, "what a beautiful name", and she didn't care that Santana didn't own the boat. She just wanted to be on it with her. "And you know how to drive this thing?"

"No. I figured I'd try for the first time today, take us 50 miles out to sea, and then see if I could get us back." Santana smiled and winked at Quinn.

"Alright, smartass", Quinn retorted. Santana stuck her tongue out at Quinn, and Quinn laughed. It's nice we can joke with each other a bit, Quinn thought.

It's amazing how comfortable we've become with each other in such a short period of time, Santana thought.

Santana climbed onboard and took the lunches from Quinn. She fired up the engine and then had Quinn remove the mooring lines. She helped Quinn onto the boat, and the two of them slowly made their way out of the harbor. Santana gave Quinn a quick overview of the boat and a safety briefing. The boat had a fully enclosed cabin, a forward berth that had been customized with a full-sized bed, a small table, a bathroom and a small but fully functional kitchen. Once they passed the harbor's no-wake zone, they climbed up to the shaded flybridge, and Santana opened up the throttle. They headed straight out for about 10 minutes and then headed west.

"We're going to a good fishing spot about 30 minutes away!" Santana yelled over the roar of the engines and the wind. "Check out the view!" She motioned to the shore with her hand.

Quinn sat next to Santana in awe. It was the most breathtaking view she had ever seen. They were cruising parallel to the shore, about a mile from the beach. She looked back and watched as the harbor, Waikiki and Diamond Head faded into the distance. Then she turned around and followed the coastline as it curved ahead of them. She looked at Santana, confident at the helm, her hair whipping in the wind, and in that moment, Quinn thought: She's amazing. I'm falling for her, and I'm falling fast. Things are happening that I can't control, and I don't know what to do. Part of me is scared, but part of me is just so in love with what's happening right now that I just don't care. She tried not to think about it, and told herself, maybe I should just be more like Santana, and just ride the wave and see where it takes me.

Santana slowed the boat as they reached their destination. She put the engines in idle, climbed down from the flybridge and then helped Quinn down. She gave Quinn a quick peck on the lips and then explained what was happening.

"We're near the west coast of the island now. Currently, we are over a ledge. A ledge is a place where the shelf below the surface of the ocean drops off dramatically. When currents hit the shelf, they cause upwelling, which draws small baitfish. Small baitfish draw larger fish, and so on and so forth. This area here" she motioned with her arms "is one of the best places on the island to fish for mahi mahi." She smiled. "Are you ready to catch some dinner?"

"Hell yeah!" Quinn said excitedly. Santana grabbed two rods and started rigging them up. Quinn looked at her, impressed with her skill. She's obviously done this before, Quinn thought. Santana opened up the bait cooler and grabbed some bait. She baited the hook for Quinn and then handed her the rod. She got behind Quinn and started explaining how to work the rod and reel.

"Okay, push this lever up, and the reel goes into free-spool. This is what allows you to feed the line into the water." Santana's left hand was on the rod, covering Quinn's left hand, and her right hand was on the reel, covering Quinn's right hand. Santana put her thumb over Quinn's thumb and together they pushed the lever to make the bait fall into the water. They let the line go out for about a minute, and then Santana took Quinn's thumb and moved the lever back. The line stopped going out.

"Now, you reel in the line slowly like this", Santana instructed. She put Quinn's hand on the reel handle. She covered Quinn's hand with her own and reeled with her for a few seconds until Quinn got the hang of it. Santana kept her arms around Quinn and nuzzled into the back of Quinn's neck while Quinn reeled. Quinn reeled all the way back up and looked back at Santana.

"Okay, so what do I do now?"

"Put it out there again."

Quinn started to let the line out again. "Okay, so how do you know if you have a fish?"

"Because it will feel like this", Santana said. She moved from behind Quinn and tugged on the line at the end of Quinn's pole. "Or something like that. Trust me – you'll know".

"Okay", Quinn said as she started to reel in. "Is this how you guys catch all of your fish? I mean, it seems kind of slow and bori-"

BAM

Quinn didn't get a chance to finish the word "boring" because a fish suddenly slammed the end of her line. The pole bent double and the reel screeched. Line started peeling off fast. Quinn squealed. "Oh my God!"

Santana laughed. "You got one!" she said excitedly. "Reel, Q! Reel!" Quinn started reeling against the strain of the fighting fish. "I see him!" Santana shouted, as she peered over the side of the boat. "He's about 40 feet down". Quinn kept reeling, and Santana grabbed a gaff. "You're doing great, Q. Just keep reeling, and I'll tell you when to stop." Santana grabbed the line and helped to guide the fish towards the waiting gaff. "You're almost there, Q…okay…stop!" Q stopped reeling, and Santana planted the gaff. She counted to three in her head and then hoisted the fish aboard the boat.

"And THAT, baby, is a mahi mahi!" Santana exclaimed.

"Oh my God!" Quinn said in excitement and awe. She had never reeled in a fish before, and this one was like almost as big as she was. Well, not exactly, but it was at least 3 feet long. It was blue and green, with hints of yellow. It had a square-like head and a streamline body. It was flopping around the deck of the boat. Santana grabbed the fish and threw it in a large cooler. Then she grabbed a hose and washed off her hands. She looked at Quinn and came closer.

"How do you feel?" She asked as she touched Quinn's arms.

"That…was…awesome", Quinn said, still in a bit of awe over the whole experience. It was so…primal. It was like really connecting with nature. Catching your own food…Wow, she thought. Pretty amazing.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it", Santana said, and she leaned in and kissed Quinn. Their lips met for a few seconds, and then Santana pulled away and smiled. "You feel like catching some more?"

"Yeah!" Quinn said, and Santana rigged up her line again. Then she grabbed a rod for herself. They spent the rest of the afternoon fishing for mahi mahi. A few hours later they had a cooler full of fish and were starting to get tired of reeling. Santana stowed the rods and then climbed up to the flybridge. She helped Quinn up and then engaged the engines.

"The sun is going down soon. I know a great place to catch the sunset", Santana said. Without waiting for Quinn to answer, she headed towards land and anchored the boat in a small cove on the southwest side of the island. She climbed down from the flybridge and helped Quinn down. She took off her sunglasses, opened a drink cooler and grabbed two cans of Hawaiian Sun passion-guava juice, the beloved fruit juice of the islands. She handed one to Quinn. Quinn pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and took the can. She looks absolutely adorable, Santana thought.

"Oh my God, is this soooo good", Quinn said as she took a sip. Santana smiled at her and then turned towards the horizon. "Look", she said.

Quinn turned, and her breath caught. The sun was just starting to dip into the horizon. She stared into the bright orange ball, and as she stared, she felt Santana's arms go around her waist. She put her arms over Santana's and leaned back to rest her head on Santana's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're here", Santana whispered into her ear, as she nuzzled into Quinn's neck.

"I'm so glad I'm here, too", Quinn said. She half-closed her eyes and continued to stare at the brilliant orange globe as it sunk into the ocean.

"Look", Santana said, "here comes the green flash. As soon as the last of the sun sinks into the ocean, you will see a flash of green across the horizon." Quinn kept looking, and sure enough, as soon as the last of the sun had sunk below the horizon, a brilliant green flashed across the surface of the water. Quinn's jaw dropped, and she stared for a moment.

"Cool, huh?" Santana asked as she nuzzled into the back of Quinn's neck.

"It was amazing", Quinn said, breathless. She leaned back and turned her head to face Santana. "Thank you for an amazing day".

Santana smiled, and then leaned in and kissed Quinn's lips. Quinn closed her eyes and returned the kiss, her mind swirling with thoughts of the sunset, the kiss, the warm island breeze, and everything that had happened to her since she had set foot on this island. She came back into the moment as she felt Santana turn her around to face her. Then, Santana broke the kiss, took Quinn by the hand, and led her into the cabin.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn's eyes fluttered open. It was dark, except for a bit of moonlight that was creeping into the boat, and all she could hear was water. For a moment she forgot where she was, and then she remembered and closed her eyes and smiled in the darkness. She was laying on her back in the berth of the boat. Santana was half-laying on top of her, her right leg over Quinn's right and her right arm draped over Quinn's chest. Her head was nuzzled into Quinn's neck. They had spent the evening making love in the berth of the boat. That, combined with the morning surf session and the afternoon deep sea fishing excursion had apparently wiped out both of them, and they had fallen asleep. Quinn leaned over slightly to kiss Santana's forehead, and Santana stirred.

"Hey sleepy", Quinn whispered.

"Hey you", Santana whispered back. She looked up at Quinn and kissed her on the lips.

"Quite a day", Quinn said.

"Yeah, I'd say". Santana agreed. She sat up slightly. "What time is it?"

"I have no idea", Quinn said. "I'd check my phone, but I can't see anything, and I have no idea where anything is." And I couldn't care less right now, Quinn thought.

"I'll turn on a light. I'll be right back". Santana got up and stumbled in the darkness. She turned on a small utility light in the cabin and found her phone. "It's 11pm", she told Quinn.

"Mmmmmm…" Quinn moaned sleepily and closed her eyes. She wanted to stay out here on the boat forever, but she needed to get back. She had ditched a whole day of the conference and need to make up for it tomorrow.

Santana walked back into the berth. "Hey", she said. "Do you need to get back?"

Quinn pouted. "I don't want to, but I probably should".

Santana smiled understandingly. "I understand. I mean, you blew off the whole day to be with me. I'm sure your company didn't send you out here to go fishing and surfing and make love to a local girl." She laid back down and put her forehead to Quinn's and said, "I hope it was worth it."

"Oh, it was", Quinn said. She smiled and kissed Santana again.

Santana smiled back. "Okay, baby, let's get you back." Baby. Quinn smiled. She liked the sound of that word, coming from Santana's mouth. Santana moved to get up and start the boat, but Quinn pulled her back down.

"Hey", Quinn said. She pulled Santana close, and then looked her right in the eyes. "I just want to let you know that this was like the most amazing day of my life."

Santana Eskimo kissed Quinn and then kissed her for real. "Me too. I had a lovely day".

"Hey", Quinn said. "I just also want to say that…I've been thinking about what it would be like to make love with you ever since I saw you on that surfboard a whole 2 days ago."

"2 days ago…" Santana said. "That's all it's been? I mean, it feels like we've been together for…forever", she said and smiled in the semi-darkness.

"I know. It's amazing. Like, somehow in 2 days you've completely filled my life."

"I know. I feel the same way", Santana said. "So…?"

"So…what?"

"Was making love with me everything you thought it would be?"

"It was everything I imagined it would be", Quinn said and smiled. "And more." Santana smiled back and the two of them kissed tenderly.

"Hey – can I ask you something?" Quinn said.

"Of course, baby."

"Are you…are you gay?"

Santana propped herself up on her elbow. "Does it matter?"

Quinn panicked a bit. Did I say something wrong, she thought? "Well, no, not really, I mean, not at all, I was, you know, I was just curious if you like just women, or men, or both, or-" she started rambling.

Santana laughed softly and put her finger to Quinn's lips. "I like _you_", she said. She emphasized the word _you_ by touching Quinn's nose with her finger, and then she moved her hand onto Quinn's heart. Quinn's breath hitched, and she stared into Santana's eyes.

"I like you too", Quinn said. "A lot". She kissed Santana and looked into her eyes and smiled.

Santana smiled back. She looked down, and then looked back up at Quinn. "As for the gay question…well, I'm pretty sure we just answered that, right?"

Quinn laughed, and Santana thought it might be the loveliest sound in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

Aloha all, here is another chapter. To answer a question that I have been asked by many of you, I did grow up in Hawaii. Also, to give you a bit of a surf report, the gentle swell is going to give way to some rough waves soon (I know, that was cheesy, but I thought I'd try to work in a surfing metaphor, to go along with the island theme of the story). Thanks for reading, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 7

Quinn and Santana arrived back at Quinn's hotel around 7:30 the next morning. They had intended on coming back the night before after waking up from their post-coital nap, but Santana had been worried about boating all the way back in the dark, and Quinn hadn't really wanted to return anyway, so they opted to stay overnight on the boat. They had remained anchored in the cove, and Santana had cut out a couple fillets from one of the mahi mahi they had caught and made them a midnight dinner in the small kitchen. They had forgotten to eat their lunches that they had bought on the way to the marina, so they rounded out their dinner with some rice and mac salad from those. They had eaten dinner on the bow of the boat, and then Santana had taken Quinn into her arms and the two of them snuggled under the stars. Quinn had looked around and thought to herself how amazing this was, just the two of them, with no one else around. It was as if they were the only two people in the world. I could die happy right now, Quinn had thought in that moment. They had returned to the bed in the berth around 2am. Both of them had wanted to make love again, but they were too tired, so they settled on falling asleep in each others arms. Santana had woken up around 6am and started them on their way back to the marina. Quinn had slept in the berth until they had reached port.

"So, what time do you get out today?" Santana asked Quinn as she pulled up to the front of the hotel.

"I don't know", Quinn said, still sleepy. "Sometime in the afternoon."

"Me too. I'm working the lifeguard tower at your beach today." Santana pointed to the beach out back of the hotel. "I'm thinking about going hiking when I get off work. Want to join me?"

Quinn smiled. "I do, but I'm not sure what time I get off."

Santana smiled back. "Okay."

"Hey, you know what I was thinking about the other day?" Quinn asked. "I don't even have your number."

Santana paused. "Huh, that's true. Ha, I hadn't even thought of that."

Quinn smiled and leaned her head back against the head rest. She looked at Santana with eyes that were partially sleepy and partially dreamy. "You know what's funny? I haven't gotten your number yet, and now that I think about it, I remembered that I asked you out without even knowing your name." She paused and then continued. "It's like, we've spent all this time together, and we are now just exchanging numbers. I mean, we haven't talked on the phone or texted or anything."

Santana looked back at Quinn and smiled slightly. "I know, it's kinda weird. I guess sometimes you don't really need technology." Her smiled broadened. "Or names."

Quinn smiled at her island princess, who cared so little about technology and following the normal rules of how people do things. "So…can I get your number?"

Santana laughed. "Of course, baby". They exchanged numbers, and Quinn leaned in to kiss Santana and then got out of the car.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn left the conference around 3pm. The panels were interesting, but she had trouble concentrating. All she could think about was Santana and what had been happening since she got here. She had only been on the island for three days, and she already felt like she was living a totally different life. She had been checking her phone all day, hoping to see a text or call from Santana. God, I haven't checked my phone like this since I was in high school, waiting for Finn, my high school boyfriend, to call. It's funny, Quinn thought. When you're with someone, all you can think about is them. Then, when you move on and you're with someone new, you can't figure out why you were so obsessed with that other person before. Random thought, Quinn laughed to herself. Now, as she was leaving the conference room, she felt a little put out that a message hadn't come yet. She walked out of the building and pulled her phone out again. Still no message. Oh well. Perhaps Santana hadn't gotten off work yet. Don't get down just yet, she told herself. As Quinn started to text Santana a message, her phone buzzed.

Santana: Hey baby

Quinn smiled at Santana's use of the word _baby._

Quinn: Hey beautiful

Santana: Are you out yet?

Quinn: Just got out

Santana: Do you still want to go hiking?

Quinn: Hell yeah!

Santana: Great! I can be by lobby in 30 mins. Have to deliver the rest of the fish we caught yesterday to Sidestreet.

Quinn: Sounds good, hon. Save us one more fish for dinner soon. =)

Quinn smiled at her use of the work _hon._ She loved how quickly they had started using intimate terms with each other.

Santana: Okay, baby. See you soon. Xoxo

Quinn: =) xoxo

Quinn looked at her phone for a second, and then scrolled through the text exchange again, smiling as she did. She put her phone back in her purse and hurried back to her hotel room. She quickly changed into a pair of shorts, tank top and her running shoes. She grabbed her purse and headed down towards the lobby. Santana was already there when she arrived.

"Heyyyyy", Quinn said as she approached Santana. She put her arms around Santana's neck, as Santana's arms went around Quinn's waist. They kissed.

"How as your day?" Santana asked.

"Good. Well, honestly, I had trouble concentrating. How was yours?

"About the same. I'm glad no one got attacked by a shark today. I may not have noticed." Quinn laughed.

Santana smiled. "You ready?"

"Yup."

"Let's go", Santana said. She took Quinn's hand and lead her out to the parking lot where she had parked her car. She opened the door for Quinn, and then winked at her, jumped and slid over the hood, hopped in the driver's side, and hit the gas. Quinn laughed at Santana's Dukes Of Hazzard charade. They drove for about 15 minutes, under the H1 freeway, up a hill, and then parked on the side of the road. It looked to Quinn like they were in a residential area.

"San, where are we?"

"This is Manoa", Santana said, motioning to the area around her. "There's a waterfall about an hour's hike away." She pulled a small backpack from her back seat.

"Do you plan all of these activities?" Quinn said. "I mean, I'm pretty sure you haven't been home in almost two days. How are you so prepared, with a backpack for our hike and everything?"

Santana laughed. "No, I don't plan all of these activities. I kinda play everything by ear. I never know where I'm going to be or what I'm going to be in the mood to do. I pretty much live out of my car", she said and then got out. Quinn looked around the car. She wasn't quite sure how Santana lived out of her car. There wasn't much in here, she thought. She stuck her purse underneath her seat and got out.

"Ready?" Santana asked. She gave Quinn a quick peck on the lips and then took her hand and led her onto a trail off the side of the road. They headed up the trail and in a few minutes they had left civilization behind and were all alone. The trail steepened, and Santana let go of Quinn's hand and took the lead. Quinn looked around while they hiked. Lush tropical foliage lined the trail, and the trees formed a dark canopy that blocked out the sky. They hiked in silence for a while longer and then came to a clearing. Santana took out a bottle of water from the backpack and handed it to Quinn. Quinn took a drink and then handed it back to Santana, who took a drink as well. Quinn noticed that Santana had offered her the water first, even though she was sure Santana had been thirsty. She's sweet to me, Quinn thought. She puts me first. Quinn smiled inside.

"Cool, huh?" Santana said, as they looked around.

"It's beautiful", Quinn said. "Kinda looks like Avatar."

Santana smiled. "Yeah, it does, huh." She stepped closer to Quinn and took her hand. "Another connection", she said and smiled.

"Huh?"

"Avatar is a love story, right?" Santana asked. Quinn nodded. Santana took Quinn's other hand. She touched her forehead to Quinn's and then planted a kiss on her lips. She pulled back and looked into Quinn's eyes. Quinn smiled coyly and closed her eyes. Thoughts started swirling again in her head, and she tried to block them out. She opened her eyes and smiled at Santana.

"Shall we keep hiking?" Quinn asked. Santana looked at her for a few seconds and then pecked her lips. She let go of her hands and led the way as they continued on the path. The path twisted and turned for another half an hour. They hiked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. As they continued, Quinn became aware of the sound of rushing water. They emerged from the canopy covered the trail, and Quinn's jaw dropped.

Standing before them was a sheer cliff. Rushing down the cliff was the largest waterfall Quinn had ever seen. It tumbled down the face of the hundred foot drop and splashed into a large natural pool. Santana looked at Quinn and took her hand.

"What do you think?" Santana asked.

"It's…gorgeous", Quinn answered in an awed voice.

Santana took her other hand and wiped a bead of sweat from Quinn's forehead. "You're hot", she said to Quinn and smiled.

"Yeah, it's hot out here, and I worked up a sweat hiking", Quinn verified.

"No – I mean, _you're_ hot", Santana said and winked at her.

Quinn laughed shyly. "_Mahalo_ Thank you" Quinn tried her hand at the Hawaiian language. "You're hot, too."

Santana leaned into Quinn and kissed her on the lips. "Let's go cool off", she said. She let go of Quinn's hand and led the way up to the pool. She stripped off her clothes and prepared to dive in.

"Santana, w-w-what are you doing?" Quinn smiled incredulously.

"Cooling off. C'mon, baby. Join me."

"B-b-but, what if someone comes-"

"Q, stop. No one's going to come." Santana smiled at her. "I'll keep a lookout." She winked and then dove into the water.

Quinn smiled and shook her head. She stripped out of her clothes and stuck her right foot into the water. It was colder than she thought. Oh well, here we go. She counted to three and then dove in. She came to the surface and looked around. Santana was just to her right.

"Jesus, it's cold in here", Quinn said as she swam over to Santana.

"Yeah. There's an underground spring that feeds water into this pool, so it keeps the temperature cool."

"I'm going to have to keep swimming to keep warm", Quinn said.

Santana smiled. "I've got a better idea. I want to show you something". She motioned to Quinn to follow her, and they swam to the area where the waterfall dumped into the pool. Santana got out and then helped Quinn climb up the rocks. She flattened her back against the cliff and shimmied herself into the small area between the cliff and where the water fell. Quinn followed suit. She could feel the spray from the waterfall hit her face as she followed Santana. It felt like a very large and rough shower.

They popped out behind the waterfall. They were in a small cave-like area. Beyond them the cave opened up, and a large spring filled the bottom. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the waterfall. Santana took Quinn's hand and helped her onto stable ground. Quinn stared at the spring, and then turned towards the waterfall and looked at where they came from, the falling water distorting her view, like looking through a liquid-esque filter. Santana came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Still cold"? Santana asked.

Quinn hadn't thought about that since she first jumped in the water, but now that Santana mentioned it, she realized that she was indeed still cold. She turned around to face Santana, and their lips met. They stayed locked for a minute, their tongues dancing, and then Santana gently pushed Quinn back against the rock wall. She took her mouth off of Quinn's and moved it up to Quinn's ear. Quinn closed her eyes and exhaled. She nibbled Quinn's earlobe and whispered, "Still cold?" Her hands went to Quinn's stomach.

"N-n-no…y-y-yes…I don't know…" Quinn breathed.

Santana moved from Quinn's earlobe down her cheek and settled on Quinn's neck, planting kisses along the way. She continued her journey down and her mouth settled between Quinn's breasts. She exhaled a breath of hot air between them and then lightly bit down on each of Quinn's nipples. Quinn squealed softly.

"Still cold?" Santana asked.

"H-h-h-h-h-h…" was all Santana could hear coming out of Quinn's mouth, as Quinn's breathing quickened. Quinn tilted her head back as Santana continued the journey down her body, her mind swirling with emotion, ecstacy, and the sound of the rushing water.

"Oh God…" was all Santana heard as she settled at Quinn's center.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana emerged an hour later. The sun would set in an hour, and the forest had gone almost dark. They put on their clothes, grabbed the backpack and headed back to the car in silence. They reached the car just as dusk arrived. Santana opened the door for Quinn and then ditched the backpack in the back seat and got in.

"Hey", Santana said quietly as she started the engine. She looked at Quinn and smiled.

"Hey", Quinn returned. She looked at Santana with adoring eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired. Hungry", Quinn said. "Happy". She smiled.

Santana laughed softly. "So, what do you want to do? Sleep? Eat? Make love again?"

"Yes. All." Quinn said. She took her and grazed Santana's forearm with her fingernails. Santana laughed softly.

"Maybe we can just go back to my hotel?" Quinn asked. "I'm kind of wiped out. Maybe we can just pick something up on the way back, or order room service?"

"Yeah, that sounds good", Santana said. She put the car in drive and headed back towards Waikiki.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana arrived back at Quinn's hotel room. Santana stepped in and looked around. "Wow, baby. Very nice."

"Thanks", Quinn said. "The company loves me", she said and winked at Santana.

"You must be an important person there."

"Not really", Quinn said. Santana looked at her with the "I can tell you're lying" eyes, and Quinn acquiesced. "Well, kind of. I mean, I'm the youngest VP in the company."

"Wow, baby. I didn't know that. I mean, that's…that's quite an accomplishment, isn't it?"

"I suppose so", Quinn said modestly."

"No. You _know_ so. That's awesome. You should be proud." Santana kissed Quinn's shoulder. "Woah", Santana said, as she noticed Quinn's computer sitting on the small table. "Nice. I mean, I don't know anything about computers, but it looks expensive."

"It is, and it is nice."

"Hey, can I check something?" Santana asked.

"Uh, sure", Quinn said, a little puzzled. What could Santana possibly want to check? She obviously wasn't a person who was addicted to technology. Quinn had even Googled Santana earlier while she was sitting in a conference panel, and nothing came up for her, not even a Facebook page.

Santana took a seat and opened a web browser, then typed in a URL. "This is a website with surf cams", she explained to Quinn.

"Surf cams?"

"Yeah. They show what the surf looks like at the beach, so you can see it before you go".

"Wow. That's cool", Quinn said. I guess technology serves at least some kind of a need for everyone, she thought.

"Yup. I use it to check the surf here and also around the world at other good surfing locations, like Australia, California or Tahiti, or whatever. You can search for a location or type one in, and if there's a camera there, it will pop up in the search results."

"Cool", Quinn said again.

Santana looked at the screen for another minute while Quinn dialed for room service, and then she closed the laptop. Quinn came up behind Santana and put her arms around her.

"Sweaty hug for my island surfer girl", she said and nuzzled into Santana's neck. Santana purred. "Hey, so about what I said earlier…?

"Huh?" Santana said.

"You asked me what I wanted to do, and I said 'All', remember?" Quinn reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, right."

"So…can we get started?" Quinn kissed Santana's neck, then took her hands, pulled her off the chair, and led her into the shower.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana were standing on the balcony of Quinn's hotel room. Quinn was wearing a T-shirt and boy shorts, and Santana was just wearing one of Quinn's T-shirts. They had just finished eating the room service meal that Quinn had ordered. After Quinn had called down, she and Santana had taken a shower together. They had apparently missed the room service delivery twice, so the food had arrived a little cold, but they hadn't minded. Now, they were standing shoulder to shoulder, staring out into the moonlit water. Santana leaned over and kissed Quinn on the lips, and then Quinn tilted her head down and kissed Santana's bare shoulder.

"It's beautiful", Quinn said. The moonlight reflected off the water straight in front of them, rippling with the gentle waves. The lights of Waikiki faded off to the left and right.

"Yes it is", Santana agreed.

"Can I tell you something?" Quinn asked. "The very first day I checked into this hotel room, I stood right here on this balcony, and I fantasized about what it would have been like to have brought someone special here with me", Quinn recounted, staring at the water. Santana looked at her and smiled. "I imagined what it would have been like to have that special someone standing next to me on this balcony, shoulder to shoulder", Quinn lightly nudged Santana to draw the correlation. "We would have been staring out at the water, and I imagined what it would have been like to have that special someone turn to me, tell me how nice it was to be here, and then smile at me and kiss me". Quinn looked right at Santana and continued. "Never in a million years would I have thought that, three days after I got here, that fantasy would have become a reality" She smiled, and for the first time she could think of, she thought she saw Santana blush.

"But, you didn't bring me here, so the fantasy is not exact", Santana said coyly.

"No", Quinn said. "It's better". She leaned in and kissed Santana, and Santana deepened the kiss. They continued to kiss for another minute, and then Quinn led Santana back inside. She pushed Santana gently onto the bed and crawled on top of her. She licked Santana's neck, and then she removed her shirt that Santana was wearing and her tongue made its way down Santana's chest. Santana gasped, and Quinn paused and looked up. "First time", she said.

"F-first time w-what?" Santana whispered, her breath increasing.

"First time in a real bed", Quinn said.

"T-th-the boat had a b-be-bed…" Santana got out in a shattered whisper.

"Shhhhhh…" Quinn said, as she smiled and then continued her journey down Santana's body.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Later that night, in Quinn's hotel room bed, Santana lay on her back, eyes open. Quinn was curled up next to her, her arm draped across Santana's body, her face nuzzled into Santana's neck. Santana listened to Quinn's rhythmic breathing. She had tried to fall asleep but couldn't. What is happening to me? she thought. I'm falling for this girl. Three days ago I didn't even know her, and now I'm falling. Like, really falling. How is this possible? Santana thought, and she flashed back to when she first saw Quinn at Magic Island as she was paddling back to shore, and for some inexplicable reason had been drawn to her. I just can't explain it, Santana thought. I've never felt this way before, for anyone. In fact, it's been forever since I felt something real, anything. I bottled up all of my emotions and left them on the mainland when I moved here all those years ago. I've been happy and carefree for so long. I've just been able to ride the wave and see where it takes me. Now, I meet this haole girl, and the possibility of being hurt just cruises right back into my life. I mean, I love what's happening right now, but it's not going to last forever. She's going to leave at some point. And then what? Santana thought. I don't even know how she feels, or what she wants, or where she wants this to go. She looked down at Quinn and smiled as Quinn's nose twitched in her sleep. Santana took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued to stare at the ceiling.


	8. Chapter 8

I hope you have enjoyed the gentle ride up until now, because the swell is going to start picking up here.

Chapter 8

A few days went by. Quinn and Santana spent as much time as they could together without Quinn missing any more of her conference or Santana missing any work. They went hiking. They went surfing. They went swimming. They ate dinners together and then Santana would either spend the night in Quinn's hotel room or drive home so they both could get some much needed sleep.

"Hey beautiful", Quinn answered the phone.

"Hey baby", Santana cooed. By now they had pretty much abandoned their real names and were almost exclusively on terms of endearment. "So, my family is having dinner tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

"Uh oh, time to meet the family, huh?" Quinn joked.

Santana laughed. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. It's up to you", she said light-heartedly.

"You want me to meet your family?" Quinn asked.

"Do you _want_ to meet my family?" Santana jockeyed back. Her voice took on a bit of a more serious tone.

Here we go, Quinn thought. She was fine with meeting Santana's family, but she was more interested in the fact that Santana had countered in a serious tone so quickly. Quinn couldn't figure out if that meant that Santana wanted Quinn to meet her family more than she was letting on, or if she was trying to ascertain how much Quinn actually cared about meeting her family, and thereby get a gauge as to how interested in or serious about this relationship Quinn was. Quinn had to admit to herself that she was far from sure what was going on between her and Santana, or what she herself even wanted out of this relationship, but she decided that any kind of jockeying from Santana or seriousness in her tone of voice was a good thing, since it indicated that Santana cared.

"Okay, I'm in." Quinn said.

"Awesome! I'll pick you up around 7?" Santana asked.

"Okay", Quinn said.

"Okay", Santana confirmed.

"Okay", Quinn said again.

Santana laughed. "Okay! Stop saying okay and hang up already!"

"Okay…" Quinn laughed. "I just had to say it one more time". It was adorable how silly they had become with each other, Quinn thought.

"Bye, baby", Santana said.

"Bye, hon".

"Bye."

"Bye".

"Okay, stop saying bye already!" Santana laughed.

"Okay, okay, okay, bye, bye, bye!" Quinn rattled off, and then laughed and hung up.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn took her time getting ready, deliberating over what to wear. Once again, Hawaii is more casual than Chicago, she thought, and this is dinner at a house, not a restaurant, but I am still meeting the family of the girl I am dat- no, scratch that, we're not dating, but we're…I don't know. We're something, Quinn thought. Anyway, I should look somewhat presentable. I'll err on the side of dressier, since I'm sure everyone there will figure out that I'm not from here and hopefully cut me some slack if I overdress, she thought, and she finally settled on a peach colored dress and matching open toe heels. God, this is so bizarre, she thought. I'm nervous, like I'm meeting a new girlfriend's parents for the first time.

"Hey, baby", Santana said as Quinn got into the car. Santana was wearing a black and white sarong and stylish black and white zoris. She leaned over to give Quinn a quick kiss and then reached for something in the back seat. "I got you something." She handed Quinn a plastic bag.

"You got me a plastic bag?" Quinn asked sarcastically. "Thanks, gorgeous".

"No, lolo", Santana came back. "Open it."

Quinn opened the bag. Inside was a pair of black zoris with a wavy pink pattern on the straps.

"Oh my God, these are sooo cute!" Quinn said. She leaned in and kissed Santana on the cheek.

"You like?" Santana asked.

"They're…perfect." Quinn said. "I can't believe you got me these. I mean, I was just thinking the other day about how I needed to buy a pair."

"Well, now you have some", Santana said satisfactorily. "Try them on".

Quinn slid them on her feet and wiggled her toes.

"Do they fit?" Santana asked.

"They fit perfectly", Quinn gushed. "How did you know what size I wear?"

"I didn't", Santana said, "but I've sold a bunch of these in the surf shops I've worked in, so I can kind of guess people's zori size. Plus, I took a good look at your feet the other night while you were sleeping, so I had a pretty good idea."

"That's creepy", Quinn said, and then laughed. "Thank you."

Santana winked at her and they drove off. They headed east out of Waikiki towards Hawaii Kai. Santana pulled up to her aunt's house about 15 minutes later.

"Here we are", Santana said, as she parked the car in the driveway.

"Nice place", Quinn said as she looked at the house out the front windshield. It was a raised single story house with off-white wood exterior, a reddish-brown shingled roof, an attached garage, an extra carport and a large front yard with palm trees. Very island-y looking, Quinn thought.

"Thanks", Santana said. "It's my Aunt Emma's house. She bought it when she sold my parents house in San Antonio."

"So, who all's going to be here tonight?" Quinn asked and looked at Santana. "I just want to know what I'm in for", she said in mock seriousness.

"Well, my aunt is the only blood relative I have here, or at least the only one that I talk with regularly. She'll be here. I have a grandmother who lives in a nursing home here in town, but she won't be here tonight. The rest of the guests are _ohana_."

"Ohana?"

"It's like extended family. Ohana can be blood relatives, but also close friends, neighbors, etc. Anyone who _you_ consider family, whether or not they are related." Santana looked at Quinn. "Ohana is the family you choose for yourself."

"Okay, I get it."

"You ready, or you wanna stall some more?" Santana smiled. She could tell Quinn was a bit nervous.

Quinn looked back at her. "Whatever, ass. I'm ready". Santana gave Quinn a kiss of encouragement and they got out of the car. Santana took Quinn's hand, and they headed for the front door. She opened the door for Quinn and ushered her inside. Quinn looked around and saw about a dozen people standing around, drinking and eating pupus. Many of them turned to look at her when she and Santana walked in. Quinn could feel them sizing her up, checking out the new haole girl with their friend and relative. Quinn spotted Santana's friend Sam, who was talking with a gorgeous island-y looking girl with very dark skin and long, wavy hair.

"Hey _keiki"_ niece. Santana looked to her right, and Quinn saw a red haired woman come out of the kitchen.

"Hey Auntie", Santana said, and gave her a hug. She turned to Quinn and said, "Auntie, this is Quinn. Quinn, this is my Aunt Emma."

"Nice to meet you", Quinn said, as she smiled and shook Emma's hand. She doesn't look old enough to be Santana's aunt, Quinn thought.

"Nice to meet you too, Quinn. Santana has told me a lot about you". Quinn looked at Santana, whose face was turning red. Emma said, "_E komo mai" _Welcome. Then, she smiled and gave Quinn the once-over. "Wow, you're pretty." Quinn blushed slightly. She turned to Santana and said, "Nice work, keiki."

"Auntie, please", Santana said, exasperated. Quinn laughed. Santana turned to Quinn and rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna need a drink. You might need one too." Santana took Quinn by the hand and lead her into the kitchen. She grabbed two glasses, filled them with ice and passion fruit juice, mixed in some vodka and handed one to Quinn. "It's kinda like the same thing we had on the boat", Santana said, "but better." She winked at Quinn. Then she walked around the room and introduced Quinn to everyone. Quinn smiled and shook hands, trying to remember everyone's name. This is going to be impossible, Quinn thought. Everyone's name is like twenty syllables long, and they all start with either K, L or M. At least I got Emma's name down, and I remember Sam from the restaurant. That's two. She got that far in her thoughts when a rough voice boomed through the house.

"_Grinds are up!"_ Food is ready.

Quinn looked over and saw the muscular, dark guy with the hard jawline and tattoos from Sidestreet standing by the screen door to the back patio. He was shirtless and waving a spatula. Quinn tried to remember his name. Puka…puka-something. I think Santana said they just call him Puck for short.

Santana turned to Quinn. "Food's ready. Are you hungry?"

"Is he related to you?" Quinn asked.

"Puck? No, but he's ohana. Like I said, he looks tough and he can be hard, but he's a good guy. And he's a great cook." Santana took Quinn by the hand and walked over to Puck. "Hey brah", she addressed him.

"Hey, Lolo, howzit?" Puck said, and gave Santana a hug.

"Puck, this is Quinn", Santana said.

Puck stared at Quinn, and Quinn felt like a small child being stared at by a grizzly bear. "Yeah, I remember you from Sidestreet da other night." Then he smiled. "Howzit? Nice to meet you." He stuck out a large hand. Quinn stared for a second, startled. She hadn't expected him to smile and offer his hand. Santana tapped Quinn on the leg with her foot, and Quinn snapped out of her trance and shook Puck's hand.

"Hi Puck, it's n-n-nice to meet you t-t-too", Quinn stammered a bit, nervous as a child petting a large dog. "Uh…Santana tells me you're a really good cook."

"I am", Puck said proudly. "And I tell you somethin' else." He leaned in to Quinn and lowered his voice. "I'm not nearly as mean as I'm sure she has told you I am." He gave Santana a knowing stare and then smiled and winked at Quinn. Quinn laughed.

"Okay, that's it. Jesus, Puck. Get back behind the grill, and stop scaring my girl", Santana said and ushered Quinn past Puck outside to the back patio. My girl, Quinn thought. She liked the sound of that.

"Hey Quinn, watch out for dat one", Puck said, pointing his spatula at Santana. Santana flipped him the bird without looking back. Quinn looked back and smiled. "And you betta try a plate of my Kalua Pork. Best on da whole island, haole girl!" he called after them. Quinn heard a few people laugh and she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Dinner was served buffet style on a long table on the back patio. Kalua Pork, rice, mac salad, and a mixed greens salad with fresh avocado slices and pieces of ahi tossed in. There was a fire pit in the middle of the large back yard, and everyone sat around it and ate. Quinn had to admit, Puck really was a great cook. Everything tasted amazing, and Santana's ohana were really welcoming. They asked her questions about where she was from, what she did, what she was doing in Hawaii, and how she liked it here. A few of them seemed a little interested in computers, but for the most part the conversation centered around surfing, fishing, hiking and going to the beach, the island's natural beauty, and other pleasantries of island life. Quinn thought about how different is was from the dinnertime conversations her and her family and friends had back home in Chicago, where most of the talk centered around work and who was dating who. Once again, she thought, life is so different out here.

The guests started filtering out after dinner until only Emma and Sam were left. Puck stayed long enough to clean up and then left to meet a girl at one of the local bars. Emma had made a _haupia_ coconut cake for dessert, and sat the four of them down at the kitchen table.

"So, Quinn, how long you here for?" Sam asked while taking a bite of cake.

"Just another two weeks", Quinn answered. "I've been here a week already."

"A week? Das it?" Sam said. "And already you landed dis one?" He pointed his fork at Santana. "Nice work. She's a tough catch".

"Sam…?" Santana said, warning creeping into her voice. Sam winked at her.

Emma turned to Quinn. "So, when you leave, will you take my keiki with you? She needs to do something with her life."

"Auntie, please", Santana said.

Emma continued talking to Quinn. "Maybe your ambition will rub off on her. You know, maybe make her a VP at your company, like you."

"Oh my God, here we go", Santana groaned, as she rested her forehead on the back of her hand.

"I like her, keiki. You should hold onto this one."

"Christ", Santana said, still resting her forehead on her hand. She closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to keep calm.

"Look, keiki, I'm just saying. I know you like the islands, but you should go explore a bit." Santana rolled her eyes so Emma continued. "Go back to the mainland, check it out, look around. You know. Fall in love…" she looked at Quinn and smiled, and Quinn looked down and laughed in a combination of disbelief, entertainment and embarrassment.

Santana put down her fork. "Okay, look, that's enough." She looked at her aunt. "I like living here, and I don't wanna go back to the mainland. And Q and I have only known each other for a week, so it's not like we're gonna go run off and get married tomorrow."

"Q?" Sam said, looking at Santana. "You just called her Q, San. You've only known each other for a week, and you're already using nicknames? In front of other people already? God, I can only imagine what you two do behind closed doors."

"Oh my fucking God." Santana stood up. "Unbelievable. I need another drink", she said, and stomped off into the kitchen. Sam laughed, and Quinn smiled, somewhat embarrassed, but that was overshadowed by her enjoyment of watching the family dynamic of Santana's ohana.

"I don't know, keiki!" Emma called after Santana. "Seems like love to me!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana took Quinn by the hand and walked her out to the back patio. They started crossing the back yard, and for the first time, Quinn noticed a separate small cottage at the end of the yard.

"Wait, I thought you lived in the house."

"No. Are you kidding me? You saw my aunt tonight. I'd kill her if I lived in the same house as her."

"Hon, she's just being family. I know how it is. I have family too.

"I know. I love her, but she drives me crazy sometimes." They reached the cottage and Santana opened the door. "Anyway, I used to live in the house until I finished high school. I live here now."

Quinn stepped in and looked around. It was a small cottage, almost like a vacation bungalow. It was all one room. Straight in front was a small kitchen and a small round table with two chairs. To the left was a couch and a small TV. Behind those was the bed on one wall, and taking up the other wall was the bathroom, the only area in the cottage separated by a wall and a door.

"Well, this is it", Santana said, as she threw her keys and purse down on the table.

"San…it's adorable." Quinn said as she continued to look around. The cottage was very sparsely decorated. There was a small bookshelf with a few DVDs, a few CDs, a few books, some shoes and a couple candles. There was one picture frame with a photo that Quinn guessed was of Santana's parents. A tapestry of the Hawaiian flag hung above the head of Santana's bed. Four surfboards lined the far wall of the cottage, and two fishing poles leaned up against the wall in the far corner. There was a small dresser next to the bed, and an open bar attached to the ceiling on which hung half a dozen dresses and some rash guards. Wow, Quinn thought, how could a girl my age own so little stuff? I think I brought more stuff for my trip than Santana owns, period, Quinn thought.

"Well? Do I pass the test?"

"What test?"

"The…you know, the girlfr- uh, the 'special someone in your life' test", Santana said. She hoped she didn't sound too nervous. She wasn't exactly sure what was happening between her and Quinn, and she knew they weren't at the girlfriend status, but she knew that there was something happening between them, since they were definitely at least behaving like more than just friends. Lately, she had been thinking more and more about their status and worrying about what was going to happen when Quinn left. Also, she gathered that Quinn lead a significantly more lavish lifestyle back in Chicago, and she hoped that Quinn would approve of her place. At the very least, Santana thought, I hope she at least thinks it has an "island-y" charm to it. Funny, Santana mused, I never gave a shit before about what anyone else thought of my place.

Quinn turned to look at Santana. She walked over and took Santana's hands, and then said, "Definitely. I love it", and kissed Santana on the lips. They broke the kiss, and then Santana looked down and said, "Oh, shit."

"What?"

"N-nothing", Santana said, as she tried to maneuver her body so Quinn wouldn't see what she was trying to cover up. Quinn peered around Santana and then said, "Oh my God", and started laughing.

"Damn", Santana said. "I knew I should have hid that thing."

Quinn bent down to the coffee table and picked up Santana's laptop. It was an old PC laptop from 2001. Quinn turned it over in her hands and nearly died laughing. "Are-you-fucking-serious?" She asked Santana between laughs.

"I knew you'd make fun of me." Santana closed her eyes and cursed.

"Hon, this thing is as heavy as an encyclopedia."

"Alright, Geek Squad, gimme that thing", Santana said, as she snatched her laptop from Quinn's hands and put it back down on the coffee table.

"Are you like on DOS with that thing?" Quinn continued to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you fuckin' nerd", Santana retorted and went to light one of her candles. "I don't even know what DOS means, but I know it's not good. Anyway, listen, I think I got enough harassment from my ohana tonight. I don't need to get more from my girlf-, uh, special someone, as well."

"I'm sorry", Quinn said, still laughing but calming down. "I just haven't seen one of those in, like, a decade and a half.

"Look, I can check surf cams and surf reports, and that's all I need."

"Come here, hon", Quinn said consolingly, and she wrapped Santana in her arms and kissed her cheeks. Santana feigned annoyance but soon gave in and forgave Quinn with a kiss on the lips. They broke the kiss, and Quinn sat down on the couch while Santana went into the fridge to get a couple drinks.

"God, I can't believe I leave in 2 weeks", Quinn thought out loud as she sat back on couch.

Santana turned her head. "You leave two weeks from today? God, it's only been a week since you arrived? Seems like it's been a lot longer, like we've lived an entire lifetime together or something." She sat down next to Quinn on the couch and handed her a drink.

"Yeah. It's been an amazing week", Quinn said, She looked Santana in the eyes and said, "Thank you".

"No, thank you", Santana said, and she leaned in for a kiss.

"Your aunt doesn't look like you."

"I know. It's weird, right? But she's my real aunt. She's my mother's sister."

"Emma doesn't sound like a Hawaiian name."

"Emma is short for Emalani - Royal Emma. She's named after Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke, former Queen of Hawaii and consort to King Kamehameha IV."

Quinn laughed. "Emma w-w-what was the rest of her name? And King what?"

Santana laughed back. "Nevermind. Look it up on Wikipedia, you nerd."

Quinn finished laughing and then said, "I like her, your Aunt."

"She likes you too."

"Better than all of the other girls you bring home for ohana dinner?" Quinn smiled.

"Shut it".

Quinn laughed. "I like your family, your ohana." Quinn took a drink and then said, "Maybe someday you can meet my family."

Santana laughed slightly. "Yeah, sure, like, if they come here."

"Or, you could come to visit me", Quinn said.

"And how would I get there? I mean, it's not like next door."

"Uh, you could fly. There are these things called airplanes. I took one myself to get over here."

"Yes, I know what an airplane is. I just meant that, well, plane tickets are expensive. I mean, unfortunately I don't have a company to pay for me to travel."

Something just happened here, Quinn thought. Santana's voice took a bit of a serious turn somewhere. She put down her drink and looked at Santana. "I would pay for you", she said.

Santana looked back at her. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Quinn said. She paused for a moment and then said, "Unless…unless you don't want to come."

"Sure", Santana said, looking at her drink and swirling it.

"Sure?" Quinn repeated. "What does 'sure' mean?" She took Santana's drink out of her hands and took Santana's hands in hers. "San, is something wrong? Like, did I say something to upset you?"

"What? No. Nothing's wrong".

"You seem like you just got upset", Quinn said. "Do you not want to come visit me in Chicago? I mean, we can stop talking about it if you want."

Santana looked down. "I guess I never really thought about it."

"Really? I mean, we've hung out almost every day since I got here, and now you've invited me to have dinner and meet your family, but since we've been together, you haven't once thought about meeting my family or even visiting just me in Chicago?

"Well, no, I mean, I thought about it, but it's just not…I don't know. It's like, it's not realistic for me, or not practical, or something…I mean, it's so far away." Santana drifted off.

Quinn sat silent. She had to admit, she was a little hurt. Of course, she knew that she and Santana hadn't talked about what they were to each other, and of course she knew that Santana didn't owe her a visit or anything, and of course she knew that there was a possibility that, as much as she didn't want to acknowledge it, this could just be some island fling that would end the moment she got on the plane and headed back home, but she figured that, with everything that was going on between them, Santana would have at least considered visiting Quinn, if not Quinn plus her family in Chicago. There was something else, though, Quinn thought, something other than just our relationship that is making Santana reticent to come back to the mainland. Quinn didn't know what it was, but she could hear it in Santana's voice when Santana spoke.

"Hey", Santana said, bringing Quinn back to the present. She pushed a lock of hair out Quinn's face and tucked it behind her ear. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine", Quinn said. She looked and saw that Santana was staring right at her, those dark brown eyes trying to pull her inside.

"I'm sorry if I upset you by not saying right away that I'll come visit you, Q". Santana paused and then said, "I would love to come visit you."

There, Quinn thought, as she looked down. She just said it, but it kind of felt like she partially phoned it in, like maybe she really didn't mean it. Like, maybe she just said that to me to appease me so I wouldn't be upset. Quinn looked up and started to talk. "Look, Santana, if you don't want to come visit me, then that's fine. I understa-"

"Shhhhh…" Santana said. She cut Quinn off with a finger to her lips, and then replaced her finger with her mouth. She ran her tongue over Quinn's upper lip, and then took Quinn's lower lip in between her teeth. She pushed Quinn back onto the couch and deepened the kiss. She heard Quinn moan and then felt Quinn's tongue push into her mouth. She opened her mouth fully to accept Quinn's kiss, and they stayed like that for a hot minute. Then Santana pushed herself off Quinn, stood up, grabbed Quinn's hands, and led her to the bed.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana were lying in Santana's bed. A faint moonlight illuminated the room through the window. Santana was curled up on her side. Quinn was spooning her, her arm draped around Santana's waist, her head nuzzled against the back of Santana's neck. She listened to Santana's slow, rhythmic breath as the island beauty slept. Something changed tonight, Quinn thought. Something shifted in our relationship. Santana clearly didn't want to talk about visiting Chicago, and Quinn figured that was just a symptom of the larger issue that Santana didn't want to talk about their relationship in general. I get that she's a more go-with-the-flow person than I am, Quinn thought, but I figured she would at least want to talk with me about things if she sensed that it was important to me that we talk. It was almost like she was scared, Quinn thought, like she was scared of leaving this island. Quinn had a feeling she knew what the roadblock was for Santana, but without Santana talking with her, she wouldn't really know for sure. I get it, Quinn thought. Life is comfortable for her here, but if this relationship or whatever we have going on is going to keep happening for the rest of the time while I am here or perhaps even continue when I leave, then we need to talk about it, and we need to be able to talk with each other. Quinn let her mind rest for a moment, and then realized she might be spinning her wheels. Is it even worth it? Quinn thought. Is it even worth worrying about this whole thing? I mean, realistically, nothing's going to happen, right? She lives here, I live there, we're separated by the largest body of water in the world. Maybe all of this worrying is pointless. Maybe I just need to enjoy my time with her while I am here, and then just go with whatever happens after I leave. Quinn sighed, and then whispered into Santana's neck, "You're amazing, my island girlfriend. I want you in my life, always." She kissed the back of Santana's neck ever so lightly, then closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Santana had not been sleeping. She had been feigning sleep, since she needed to think. She couldn't hear Quinn's thoughts, but she did hear Quinn whisper and felt Quinn lightly kiss the back of her neck, and she both smiled slightly and held back a tear at the same time.


	9. Chapter 9

Here's another chapter. This one brings the swell down a bit, but it is an important part of the story. Also, just FYI - this story is far from over. Thank you again, and I hope you are continuing to enjoy the read.

Chapter 9

Santana dropped Quinn back at her hotel the morning after the ohana dinner. Neither had said much that morning. They were both lost in their own thoughts, and even though they hadn't spoken about it, each was thinking the same thing: The honeymoon phase of this thing is over. Things are getting more serious. Feelings are deepening, and the possible end is in sight. I need to figure this out, first for me, and then we need to figure out what we're doing together.

A few days went by with Quinn and Santana going their separate ways. Quinn caught herself constantly checking her phone to see if she had received a message or call from Santana. Sometimes, she found herself just staring at her it, as if by staring at her phone she could will a message from Santana to magically pop up. She read through the texts they had exchanged so far over and over again. She found herself doing that wherever she was – at the conference, on the beach, out to eat. Sometimes she would be somewhere but find herself thinking about something she had experienced with Santana, rather than enjoying whatever she was doing at the time. She laughed as she thought of what Santana would think of that irony, since Santana loved to live in the moment, but it was Santana in Quinn's thoughts that was preventing Quinn from doing just that. It's funny, Quinn thought. I was so excited to come here for a number of reasons, and now, all of those reasons have taken a backseat to something I couldn't have possibly anticipated. Well, at least now, I'm not skipping any conference panels. I'm showing up, even if I'm not paying attention.

For her part, Santana had come to the decision that she was just going to ride out the wave and not worry about what happens when Quinn leaves. She had wanted to call Quinn the night after she dropped her off. She missed hearing her voice. She missed feeling her touch. She missed having her around, but she was pretty sure that Quinn needed a bit of time to think, so she was trying to respect that. Finally, after three days, she couldn't take it anymore, so she picked up her phone and dialed.

Quinn was drinking her morning coffee on the balcony of her hotel room when her cell phone rang. She picked it up, and instantly her heart started thumping louder. She let it ring a few more times, and then she answered.

"Hello?" Quinn tried to make it sound like she didn't know who was calling.

"Hi stranger", Santana said cheerfully, ignoring the generic greeting.

"Heyyyy you."

"I'm glad we exchanged numbers. I don't know if I would have ever seen you or spoken to you again," Santana joked.

"Well, we found each other three times before, so maybe it would have happened again", Quinn said.

"Well, I'm glad we didn't have to leave that to chance."

"Me too."

"So, um, how have you been?" Santana asked.

"I've been…good, um…busy with the conference, now that I've actually been attending. How are you?"

"Good. Well, actually, not so good. I've missed you." Santana paused, and when she didn't hear Quinn say anything, she kept going. "There. I said it. Look, I know you wanted to talk more the last time we saw each other, and I wanted to say things, but the words stuck in my throat, so I distracted you with sex instead, and I'm sorry. Well, not about having sex, but I'm sorry for not communicating verbally with you. So, I did some thinking, and I realized that your trip is like halfway over, so I'm just going to say what I feel from now on. I've missed you, and the last three days have sucked without you."

Quinn laughed. She wanted to continue their conversation from a few days ago, but she wanted to do it in person, so she just said, "I've missed you too. So much. I kept looking at my phone, waiting for you to call or text."

"Awww, I would have. I thought you needed space to think, and I know I did. It's like, after our last conversation, things kind of got more serious. At least that's what I felt, and we've been pretty synched up so far, so I figured that maybe you felt that too."

"I did. And I did need space. But still, a part of me just wanted you to hit me up."

"Well, I'm doing that now. What are you doing today?" Santana asked.

"Well, I was going to go to some panels at the conference, and then maybe hit the beach and read a book."

"I want you to come with me. I want to give you a driving tour around the island. We can stop at some sights along the way, buy some fresh food from the roadside stands, and then we can make dinner tonight. We can have dinner in your hotel room if you want. I think I saw a small kitchen in there."

And just like that, Quinn thought, there goes my perfect conference attendance for the rest of the trip. "Okay, I'm in."

"Okay, I'm at the fish auction right now, near the marina. John John and I took Malia out yesterday and caught some mahi mahi and some ono, so we're trying to sell them for money. I can be by in an hour."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Okay, see you soon", Santana said.

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"Again with this! Stop saying bye!" Santana feigned irritation. Quinn laughed and hung up.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn came down to the lobby an hour later. Santana was already waiting for her by the curb. She's early, Quinn thought. Santana was standing by the passenger side door instead of behind the wheel. Quinn picked up her pace as she saw Santana, but then slowed down a bit. What happens now? Do we kiss? Are we still doing stuff? What's going on with us? She flashed back to the morning they first went surfing together, when she wasn't sure how to greet Santana when Santana had come to pick her up. She was almost to Santana and hadn't made up her mind yet, when Santana took three steps forward and planted a kiss on Quinn's lips.

"Hey, baby", Santana said. She kept her lips on Quinn's and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck.

Quinn returned the kiss. It was nice to hear Santana call her 'baby'. It's funny, Quinn thought as they were kissing. I wouldn't have been so bold, but now that Santana took the initiative, I'm so glad she did, because this just feels right. They kissed for a few more seconds, and then Quinn broke the kiss. "Hey", she said back to Santana, a little out of breath.

"I needed that", Santana said and smiled.

"Me too." Quinn smiled back.

"It feels like forever since I've kissed you."

"I know. Me too."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." Quinn looked at Santana. "You're, like, early. What's up with that?" She joked.

"I know. I guess, maybe, I just wanted to make a good impression after the last few days", Santana said and smiled. She looked down to grab Quinn's hands. "You're wearing my zoris", she said and smiled again.

"I thought you bought them for me."

"You know what I mean, ass."

Quinn laughed. "I've worn them every day since you got them for me."

"Even to the conference?"

"Yeah. One day I actually did. I went causal. Guess I'm picking up some island style tips from you."

Santana laughed and then leaned in to kiss Quinn again. "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, hop on in." Santana opened the door for Quinn. She faked going for the Dukes Of Hazard Slide again and instead winked at Quinn, walked around the front and got in. Quinn laughed. It's like we haven't been apart at all, Quinn thought. Santana hit the gas and off they went. They took the H1 freeway west and then went up the H2 freeway towards Haleiwa, the gateway town to Oahu's famous north shore. Quinn laughed about how there are a total of three expressways in all of Hawaii, and they are called H1, H2 and H3. Santana countered with the fact that Quinn called them 'expressways', and said the proper term is 'freeways'. They alternated between jockeying back and forth on that and admiring the scenery.

"Whoooaaaa", Quinn said, as she looked out the front windshield. They had passed Wahiawa, the small town on the top of the middle of the island, and were now descending down towards Haleiwa and the rest of the north shore. The trees that had lined the road disappeared as they past the Dole Plantation, and now a panoramic view of the north shore spread out before them. Santana smiled at Quinn, who sat transfixed in the passenger seat.

"This is one of the best views on the island", Santana said. "You like?"

"It's…breathtaking", Quinn said.

"Better than the views when we were fishing or surfing?"

"I don't know...I love them all."

Santana smiled and guided the car down into Haleiwa. "Welcome to the north shore, baby", she said to Quinn. "Does it look like the north shore near you?"

"Uh…no. Not at all. Very different."

Santana was going to ask Quinn to describe the north shore where she lived, but then realized it may bring up the discussion of her visiting Chicago, so she let it pass. They continued clockwise along the Kamehameha Highway, stopping at various points along the way. Santana pointed out the surfing breaks that made the north shore famous – Haleiwa, Waimea, Pipeline, Sunset. She explained the yearly calendar of the waves and how they started to die down in the spring but picked up again in the late fall and would reach monstrous proportions during the winter. She talked about the factors that contributed to creating these crushing walls of liquid – the direction from which the swell came, the structure and topography of ocean floor, the winds and tide. Quinn listened, enjoying Santana's enthusiasm as much as she was learning about the actual mechanics. They rounded Turtle Bay on the northernmost point of the island and then stopped at a shrimp truck for lunch.

"This place makes the best shrimp on the island", Santana proclaimed. She ordered and paid for both her and Quinn, and the two of them sat next to each other and ate at a picnic bench next to the truck.

"Oh my God, this is soooo good", Quinn said.

"Yeah, they mix this spicy sauce and garlic and Maui onion in, and it's really yummy." She took another bite and then looked at Quinn. "I'm glad you like."

Quinn looked back at Santana. "I do like", Quinn said, imitating Santana's pidgin. "And I like even more that we're doing something together today." She leaned in and kissed Santana on the lips.

"You taste like garlic", Santana said and laughed.

"Oh, you love it. Like you taste any better", Quinn countered. "I think I taste Spam on you as well", she joked, and Santana nudged Quinn's shoulder with her own. They finished up lunch, and Santana picked up an extra pound of shrimp to go and put it in a cooler in her back seat.

"See that?" Santana said as she pointed to the cooler. "I brought a cooler for the shrimp for tonight's dinner. I _planned_ for today. You're rubbing off on me." Quinn laughed, but thought, first Santana was early to pick me up, and now she's planning ahead. Does that mean something? If so, what? They got back in the car and continued their journey around the island, stopping at the various food stands that dotted the roadside to pick up ingredients for their dinner - mango, mixed greens, tomatoes, Maui onions, papaya, pineapple, and a home made sesame-soy dressing. They continued to round the island. Quinn marveled at how close the road was to the water in certain areas. It was almost as if a rogue wave came, it could sweep them into the sea, car and all. They continued on for a bit more, and then Santana pulled off on one of those water-close-to-road areas just past Chinaman's Hat.

"C'mon," she said to Quinn. She grabbed a towel and got out of the car. Quinn followed. She took Quinn's hand and led her onto the beach. They walked hand in hand down an open stretch for a bit and then ducked into an alcove.

"This is my beach", Santana said.

"Your beach, hon?" Quinn asked, and Santana registered that, for the first time in four days, Quinn had called her 'hon'.

"Well, I mean, I don't own it, smartass, but I come here sometimes, and no one's ever here, except for me. And now you." She smiled at Quinn.

Quinn smiled back, and then looked around. The alcove was surrounded by short cliffs and an overhang, obscuring it from the road. The half moon curve of the beach protected the water from wind and waves, and the view was of nothing but calm, sparkling turquoise blue water. Quinn sighed and smiled. This may well be the most peaceful place I have had ever been, she thought. She closed her eyes, breathed in deep, and exhaled. When she opened her eyes, Santana was standing right in front of her.

"Do you like this place?" Santana asked Quinn as she took Quinn's hands in her own. She almost sounded nervous, Quinn thought.

"It's…beautiful", Quinn said. She had wanted to come up with a better word, but that's about as good as she could come up with right now.

Santana moved a bit closer to Quinn. "This is my special place. I come here by myself…to get away, to think, to be alone…and…I've never brought anyone here", she said.

"W-w-why did you bring me?" Quinn asked, her breath starting to hitch.

"Because…you're…special…to…me…" Santana said, and with that, she pushed her lips against Quinn's, and her arms went around Quinn's neck. Quinn returned the kiss, grabbed Santana's waist, and the two women fell to the sand.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana arrived back at Quinn's hotel room after dark. After they had made love on Santana's secret beach, they had gone skinny dipping and then laid out on the towel, Santana on her back, Quinn laying her head on Santana's chest. A few hours after, they were back in the car, heading towards Quinn's hotel. They had caught a sunset from the cliffs near Santana's house in Hawaii Kai, and now they were in Quinn's hotel room, maxing out the small kitchen as they prepared what Santana had named "Quinn's Island Salad" – mixed greens, shrimp, mango, Maui onion, and tomatoes, tossed with the home made sesame-soy dressing they had bought. Quinn had insisted that Santana not help, to repay Santana for the island tour, so Santana sat on the couch, admiring Quinn as she prepared their dinner.

"Mmmm…this is like the best salad I've ever had", Quinn said, as they ate at the small dining table in the living area.

"I know, it's so good, right?"

"You're lucky. You can have this anytime you want."

"I can, but it tastes better with you." Santana smiled at her. "Everything's better with you." Quinn blushed a bit. Here we go again, she thought, as her head started to spin with emotions.

Santana smiled at Quinn and said, "I had a lovely day with you."

Quinn smiled back. "Me too. Thank you for sharing your secret beach with me."

"No, thank _you_ for sharing _your_ secret beach with _me_", Santana joked crudely.

"Jesus, hon. Really?"

Santana laughed. "No, seriously, I'm glad we could spend the day together. I missed you."

"Me too. I've missed you as well", Quinn said.

"You know, it's funny", Santana continued, "When we first started hanging out, we both said that it felt like we'd been hanging out forever, even thought it had only been a few days. Unfortunately, I guess the same felt true when we were away from each other the last few days. It really felt like forever as well."

"I know", Quinn agreed. She paused and then asked, "What do you think that means?"

"I don't know. Maybe it means that…I don't know." Santana took a deep breath and then said. "Maybe it means that we're, like, supposed to be together…or something…" she trailed off. That was a little deeper than she had wanted to go, but she had made the decision that she was going to say what she wanted to say, so even if nothing further came out of this whole thing, she had at least done that and would have no regrets over not saying something she should have said.

Quinn considered that and then smiled slightly. "God, sometimes I just wish there was someone or something to just tell you what to do, you know? This is like one of those times."

"I know. This is confusing. I mean, it's been awesome, and the last week and a half has been like the best week and a half of my life, but this is confusing for sure", Santana said. She paused for a moment and then looked right at Quinn with her big, dark eyes. "I missed you", she said again and then sighed, "but I understand that a bit of time apart was good for us. I know we started fast, so…I guess we both needed some time alone to think about stuff…"

"And…?" Quinn asked. "Did you do some thinking?"

"I did", Santana said.

"And…? What did you think about?"

"I've decided that we should talk whenever either one of us wants to talk, and that it's probably best to just ride out the wave and not worry about what happens after you leave", Santana said. Saying that last part made her cringe inside. "You?"

"I agree with the talking part. We should always talk. If something is important to one of us, then it should be important to both of us." Quinn paused and then said, "As far as just riding the wave and not worrying about the future…well, I guess I'll give it a try. I mean, It's not natural for me to do that, like it seems to be for you, but I wish I was able to do that, and I agree that it probably is for the best, so I will try." She looked at Santana with a smile of resolve.

Santana nodded. "I think that maybe just enjoying the time together that we have now and not worrying about the future is the best plan.' She paused as if thinking hard and then said. "I mean, I guess you can think of it like this – if something were to happen to either one of us, wouldn't we want to know that we made the most of our time together?" Quinn face dropped. "Baby, I don't mean to sound negative, but do you know what I mean?"

"I do, and I get your point."

"So, maybe let's just enjoy our time together, and just see what happens."

"Okay", Quinn said. "I'll try to not worry about the future. But", she said, and then looked right at Santana, "I would like you to come visit me in Chicago." She wanted to start that sentence with, "If you don't end up coming back with me in a week and a half…", but the words stuck in her throat.

"Of course", Santana said and smiled.

They ate the mango and pineapple for dessert on Quinn's balcony and then spent the rest of the night on one of the large recliners, staring out into the water. Quinn leaned back, and Santana snuggled into her. About an hour later, Quinn realized that Santana has fallen asleep. She kissed the top of Santana's head and gently stroked her hair. How is it that this is so damn hard? Quinn thought. I've known this woman for less than 2 weeks. On paper this should be just a fun vacation romance, with no strings attached. How is it that I am just so drawn and feel such a powerful connection to this person, even though I've only known her for such a short period of time? Quinn mulled this over as Santana purred slightly in her sleep. Maybe it's because you only meet someone once, and you don't pick the time or the place, Quinn thought. It just happens however it does, and when it does, maybe you just have to jump on it, no matter what logic or reality tells you. Quinn wished she could just go with that. She had told Santana that she would try to just go with the flow, but as she closed her eyes, she couldn't shake the feeling that, unless she could secure a future for this relationship soon, she was going to end up hurt.


	10. Chapter 10

I hope you have enjoyed the gentle waves so far, because this is where the water turns rougher. Also, this may be the last update for a day or two.

Chapter 10

For the next few days, Quinn and Santana continued to spend time together, but they both felt like things were different. It was like they had talked, but not really talked. It almost felt like a window dressing talk, one of those talks that you have to make you feel like you talked, but you didn't actually really get deep into the matters at heart, or resolve anything, or say what you really wanted to say. They still had fun with each other and enjoyed each others company, but they were a bit more distant, a bit more removed from each other, as if they were slowly weaning themselves from each other in anticipation of Quinn's departure.

Santana was laying in her bed. She had woken up early and was unable to fall back to sleep. The morning light streamed through her window. I told Quinn that from now on I would not be afraid to talk about things, she thought, but why is it so hard to say the truth? I danced around it when we talked at my place, and I wanted to say it when we spoke at Quinn's hotel room a few days ago, but the words still stuck in my throat. I don't want to lose her, but there's nothing I can do about it. As much as I would be willing to move to be with her, I just can't, and she's made it clear that she can't just move here. I guess I'll just do what I've done my whole life - just see where this goes, she thought. She was continuing her thinking along that line when her phone rang.

"Hey baby", she answered.

"Hey you", Quinn said. "So, I was thinking that maybe we could cook dinner at your place tonight."

"Okay. What time do you want me to pick you up?" Santana asked.

"Actually, I got a car", Quinn said. "I had to rent one for the day for work".

"Oh, okay. Do you remember how to get here?"

"Can you just text me the address? I'll map it."

"Okay, baby, I will, as soon as we hang up."

"I can be by around 7", Quinn said. "Do you need me to bring anything?"

Santana got out of bed. "No, I got stuff. I have some fish and veggies and rice and some fruit", she said, rummaging around the fridge.

"Sounds good to me. I can make that work."

"Okay, baby. See you tonight."

"Okay, bye." Quinn hung up. Santana put her phone back down. She laid back down in her bed and thought some more, and then she realized something. She had called Quinn 'baby' three times in that phone call, and Quinn hadn't called her 'hon' once.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana were sitting at Santana's kitchen table.

"Baby, this is so good", Santana said. Quinn had made them sautéed ahi tuna steaks, herbed rice and a fruit salad for dinner.

"I'm glad you like it", Quinn said.

"You're an amazing cook, babe. I don't think anything quite this good has ever come out of this kitchen." Santana smiled at Quinn, and then said "I'm glad you're here".

"You are?" Quinn asked.

"Of course." Santana looked up, a bit alarmed. "Why wouldn't I be?" Quinn didn't respond, so Santana said, "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I wish we could always do this", Quinn sighed.

"Do what?"

"Cook dinner together. Have dinner together."

Santana smiled. "Me too." She took another bite and then looked at Quinn, who was staring at her plate with sad eyes. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just that, the thought of not being able to do this with you all the time reminds me that I am leaving soon."

Santana finished chewing and then put her fork down. She took a deep breath and then looked at Quinn. "Quinn, talk to me. Something's wrong. I can tell. What are you thinking about?" Quinn didn't respond, so Santana said, "What's going to happen between us?"

"What?" Quinn asked, and looked up from her meal.

"You heard me. I asked you what's going to happen between us when you leave. Yes, I'm thinking ahead", Santana said, looking into Quinn's eyes. "Look, I know you want to talk about things, and even though I don't as much, I know we should. I know we kinda talked a few nights ago, but let's be honest – it felt kind of like window dressing. I'm pretty sure we both held back. So, I want to hear your thoughts on what's happening between us, and where you see this going. Plus, you know what? You haven't called me 'hon' or 'beautiful' once today. Not on the phone, and not since you got here for dinner, while I've called you 'baby' repeatedly. So, I want to know what you are thinking."

Quinn put down her fork and looked at Santana. "I like you. A lot. I feel like, ever since I first saw you, I've been drawn to you, and now, I can't…it's almost like I can't imagine my life without you."

Santana exhaled and looked at Quinn. "I feel the same way. When I saw you as I was paddling in at Magic Island…I felt instantly drawn to you, like I had to know you. I was hoping you would come over when I got out of the water and introduce yourself to me. I feel it too, Quinn. It's like, we have this intense connection, and I just can't explain it, and I can't help that I'm drawn to you."

Quinn was silent for a moment. She wanted to ask a question, and she didn't quite know how to work up to it, so she just came out with it. "San, I want to ask you something, and I don't really know how to work up to asking it, so I'm just going to come out with it." Quinn took a deep breath, looked right at Santana, and said, "I know you go with the flow more than I do, right? Would you…would you consider moving to Chicago to be with me?"

Santana stared at Quinn, and Quinn thought, holy shit, did I totally overstep the boundary here?

Santana was silent for a moment longer and then asked, "Why don't you move here? I mean, couldn't you do that? Move here and still work your job, with all your digital technology?"

"You would think, right? Quinn said. "But unfortunately, even with all of this technology, I still can't just up and move at the drop of a hat."

"Okay, so, where does that leave us?" Santana asked.

"Would you consider moving to Chicago with me?" Quinn asked again.

"I don't know…" Santana trailed off.

"Well, then I don't know where this leaves us", Quinn said. "I mean, I know this whole thing is kind of crazy, and I get that we just can't move across the world for each other, but I also know that I just don't want to give this up. I mean, I have everything in my life, but I don't have this. I've never felt anything like this before, like what I feel when I'm with you."

"How do you know it's not just island love?" Santana asked. "A fantasy that will die once you leave?"

"Don't you feel the connection?" Quinn fired back. "You said you felt it, too."

"Of course I do. I already told you that. Like I said, I was hoping you would come up to me at the beach the first day I saw you, and then, when I saw you at Sidestreet, the whole time I was eating dinner, all I wanted to do was look over at you and stare at you. She paused and then said, "I don't know. I mean, like you said, this whole thing is crazy. I don't know, maybe we shouldn't even be talking like this."

"But I want to talk about this, San. I have feelings for you, and I know you have feelings for me, so we should talk about them. We agreed we would talk if one of us wanted to talk, and we agreed to say things if we wanted to say them and not hold back."

"But why?" Santana said, her voice rising a bit. "Why do we need to talk about feelings just because we have them? Why can't we just enjoy the last week you are here, without worrying? Why can't we just ride the wave and not ruin anything?"

"Because I'm on that wave too!" Quinn suddenly snapped. She stood up. "And I want to know what happens. I can't read the water, and I need you to help me, just like you showed me when you taught me how to surf."

Santana remained quiet. Quinn lowered her voice but kept going.

"Santana, I can't continue with this if I don't know if it's going to continue after I leave. I've been trying to convince myself to just go with the flow, but I just can't. I'm falling for you, and I can't fucking help it, and if we keep going the way we are without a plan for after I leave, then I'm going to get hurt."

"Pain's just a part of life, Quinn", Santana said matter-of-factly. "Things happen, and you just deal with it and move on. We should just enjoy the time we have together while we have it."

"Really, San? And is that what you've been doing? Moving on? Hiding out here, a million miles away? How's that working out for you?"

"I was doing fine before you came here!" Santana raised her voice and stood up. Quinn stood there, mouth open, deep hurt on her face.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Santana said.

Quinn looked down. When she looked back up, there were tears in her eyes. "Take the chance with me, Santana. Please. Stay with me. Just like you asked me in the car before we went fishing, I'm now asking you. Stay with me. Move to Chicago, so we can be together."

Santana remained silent, so Quinn continued on.

"Try it. Move with me. What do you have to lose? If it doesn't work between us, you can come back here. I will cover all expenses. If it does work between us but you don't like it there, then we can discuss options. We can move somewhere else if things go that way and once I can figure out a plan, but we will be together."

"I don't know. I mean, I can't just pick up and move, Quinn. My life is here."

Quinn looked around Santana's apartment. "We can move all of this. You don't have much."

Santana flashed anger. "Oh my God, you didn't just say that."

"No wait, San. That came out wrong. I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh, I get it", Santana said, her voice rising again. "I don't have much. I'm the poor little island girl. You can come rescue me, take me back to civilization with you, like a cute little souvenir that you pick up at the ABC Store next to your plush hotel on your vacation."

Quinn says "Look, I said I'm sorry, and I meant it. You know I don't see you like that. I want you to move with me because I want to be with you. I've never felt with anyone else before what I do with you, and I want a future with you. And, I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but again, I can't just move here, at least not right now, but if you can move, then we can be together. Think about what we have and what we could have. I know you feel for me what I feel for you. We may not naturally act the same way on our feelings, but I know we both feel it. Don't you think it's worth the chance, to see where this could go? We may never find this ever again." Quinn's voice was rising again.

Santana is quiet. "I don't know…"

"Well what _do_ you know?" Quinn yelled. She was tired of Santana saying 'I don't know'. She didn't like yelling, but she was frustrated with not being able to get the truth out of Santana, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. "God damn it, Santana. You keep saying 'I don't know'. Tell me what you _do_ know. What's holding you back? I mean, you're the adventurous one out of the two of us, right? Miss 'I-go-with-the-flow'. I figured you'd have no problem moving anywhere, but it's like you're so hesitant to even just come to _visit _me in Chicago. I know you finally said you would, but I also know that you agreed to that just to make me happy. So, what's the fucking problem? What is it that makes you so damn reluctant to set foot off this island? What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of being hurt again!" Santana yelled. "I am afraid of being hurt again! There, I just said it. Twice. And I'll fucking say it again. I'm afraid of being hurt again!" She had been fighting to hold tears back, and she couldn't hold them in any longer. They came flooding out of her eyes. "Losing my parents was the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm scared that if I go back to the mainland, then I'll open myself up to all that pain again. I'm afraid that if I set foot on that fucking continent again, then all of the pain that I left there will come rushing back. I have been hiding here for fifteen years, and I've finally gotten to a point where all the pain in my life has gone away. I can finally look at my aunt and not immediately break down and cry because she reminds me of the mom that I lost. That's why I live here in this shack, Quinn. Because I couldn't stand to see my aunt day in and day out, because that reminded me of my parents. And you know what? I know I came out here to Hawaii because I didn't have a choice, but I grew to love it here. This place is beautiful, and it's far away, and I'm finally pain free. And then you came along, and all of a sudden that possibility of being hurt started knocking on my door again." Santana looked down and then looked up. "I've fallen for you, Quinn. I'm fallen for you, and I've never fallen like this for anyone before. And I'm afraid of what will happen if we try this and it doesn't work. I don't think I can take any more heartbreak in my life. I've already lost two people I love, and if I move back to the mainland and this doesn't work, then I will have lost three people I love, and if we move back to the mainland and then break up, and being on the mainland brings back all of the old, painful memories of my parents' deaths, then I might just buy a gun and fucking shoot myself!"

"Santana!" Quinn implored. "Don't ever talk like that!"

Santana stood silent, shaking, tears pouring down her cheeks. Quinn stood there, mouth open, staring at Santana. So there it was. Quinn had figured that the death of Santana's parents was a contributing factor to why Santana was hesitant to visit the mainland, but she never realized just how much it had influenced her. That, and Santana's admission of how intense her feelings were for Quinn, had Quinn reeling. Quinn tried to focus and she reached for Santana. Santana recoiled.

"San, I understand your pain, and I definitely understand your feelings for me, since I feel them for you. But, you can't stay afraid. You can't just bottle up pain and hide it away."

"Don't…fucking…lecture…me...Quinn." Santana was still shaking.

"I'm not lecturing you, Santana. I'm telling you from my heart how I feel. You can't not take chances just because things haven't worked out in the past. Like you told me, pain sucks, but its part of life. What you and I have is worth taking a chance on. You know it, and I know it. I mean, would you shy away from riding a wave you've never ridden before, just because you didn't know where it would take you or how the ride would go?"

Santana was silent for a minute, and then said. "I don't know. I just don't know. I mean, this thing, whatever we have going on here…it's safe here, it's safe if it never leaves this island, and even just talking about continuing it after you leave just makes it seem so much more real-"

"Come on, Santana!" Quinn cut her off, exasperated. She was at the end of her rope. "Don't you want to ride this wave with me and see where it goes?"

"I…don't…know", Santana said, slowly and quietly. Tears were still falling from her eyes and running down her face.

Quinn's sighed, and her shoulders dropped. She was silent for a moment, and then said, "Then I don't know, either. But I do know this: When we were on our first date, and I was talking about security as the most important thing in my life, I wasn't just talking about financial security. I want to be emotionally secure as well. That means protecting my heart as well as my financial future. I can't not do that." Quinn looked down, took a deep breath and then looked up. "I need to know if you're in this with me".

Santana stared at the ground, and then looked up. She looked into Quinn's eyes, and in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, said, "I…just…can't."

Quinn stared back at her for a moment. Hurt and tears fell across her face, and when she spoke, her voice was trembling. "Then I can't keep seeing you if nothing's going to happen with this." She paused again, and then said, "We're done, Santana."

Santana just stood there. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. Quinn wiped a tear from her own eye and then approached Santana and pressed their lips together.

"Goodbye, Santana", Quinn said, and then turned around and walked out.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks as always for the feedback. I had a bunch of responses since I posted the last chapter, both in comments and PMs. To answer some questions and comment on some responses:

1. I did grow up in Hawaii. Also, when I write dialog for some of the Hawaiian characters, I not only slip in Hawaiian words that they might use, but I also alter the grammar a bit to represent the pidgin accent. In addition, the Hawaiian language has fewer words than the English language, so it's more common for words to have multiple meanings. For instance, the word "keiki" can mean child, son, niece, kiddo, etc. When Emma calls Santana "keiki", she is calling her a combination of "niece/kiddo".

2. This story is an AU story, but it does reference not only Glee characters, but also real life places, things and people. However, because this story is AU, these references may run the gamut in this story from true-to-life (or true to the canonical world of Glee) to only faintly resembling real life or Glee, and I am aware when I am entering AU. FYI if I did not stay 100% true-to-life in my references to either real life or Glee, I did try to pull in at least one true-to-life element, or make a connection in a way that makes sense. For instance:

I know Puck is not Hawaiian in Glee's world, but he is a bad-ass, so he was a perfect reference to play a Kala Alexander-esque character, as the head of the local surf mob.

I know Emma doesn't really look like Santana, but I chose her for her nurturing character and guiding ways, and I liked the tie-in of her name to the Hawaiian name Emalani.

I Know that Manoa Falls is a heavily traveled hiking trail, so in real life it's unrealistic for two people to ever be alone for an extended period of time while exploring there.

3. This story is far from over and will have multiple twists and turns. I will put a big _**THE END**_ at the end, so you know it is over. Until then, please assume I will continue to post additional chapters.

4. If you have read my other story, you know that Quinntana is endgame. But, all good stories have conflict, tension, and drama. Also, the greater the drama, the more satisfying the resolution. In addition, I love Hollywood, so even though what you read may not be 100% realistic, it makes for a good story.

5. I am posting responses to all feedback here, since it is easier to do that then respond to all individual reviews and PMs (much as I would like to, my time is limited, and I think it is best used to continue to write the story). Plus, I figure that if one person has a comment or question, others may as well. I hope that is okay.

6. Speaking of which, this is only my second story for FF, so I would like to get some feedback. Would you, as the reader, prefer me to upload one chapter a day, or would you prefer me to upload multiple chapters at once every few days?

Thank you so much. I really appreciate everything, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 11

"Keiki"?

Santana heard knocking and then heard the door to her cottage open. She never locked her door. She grabbed another tissue and dabbed her puffy eyes.

"Keiki"? Emma said as she walked in. She saw Santana lying in her bed, curled up in the fetal position. "Are you okay? I haven't seen you in three days. I got worried when you didn't come in for dinner last night, and I-" She stopped talking when she got closer and saw Santana's face, eyes puffy and nose red. She looked as though she had been crying for days. Tissues littered the floor near her bed. Emma sat down on the bed next to her. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she had a pretty good idea. "Awww, keiki", she said, as she stroked Santana's hair. Santana continued to sob quietly.

"Do you want to talk?" Emma asked. Seeing Santana like this made her heart wrench. She hadn't seen her like this in 15 years, ever since Santana's parents had died. Emma had never had kids of her own, and Santana had become her only child. She loved her wayward niece dearly, and it killed her to see Santana so upset.

"She left me", Santana squeaked out.

"Awww, keiki. I'm so sorry."

"I thought she would stay here with me", Santana said.

Emma just stroked Santana's hair and gave her niece a sincere look of pity.

"Why can't she stay with me?" Santana said, pleadingly.

Emma continued to stroke Santana's hair in silence for a minute and then said, "Can I ask you something, keiki?"

Santana nodded her head slightly.

"If you were visiting her in Chicago, and she asked you to stay for her, would you?"

"I don't know", Santana mumbled.

"And, as things are now, if she asked you to move Chicago to be with her, would you?"

Santana was silent for a moment and then said, "She did ask me."

"She did?" Emma was surprised. That's a big ask. Whatever is happening between these two may be more serious than she had thought. "And?"

"I said I couldn't."

"Why did you say that, keiki?" Emma continued to stroke Santana's hair soothingly.

"Because…I don't think I can put myself out there and risk being hurt again", Santana said.

"And did you tell her that?"

"Kind of."

"What do you mean, 'kind of', Keiki?"

"I told her that I was afraid to go back to the mainland because I was afraid that if I went back, it would open up the pain that I left back there of losing my parents."

"And is that true?"

"It is true, but it's not the only reason. I mean, I _am_ afraid that if I go back to the mainland it will trigger painful memories of my parents…" Santana trailed off.

"But..." Emma prompted.

"I'm also afraid of opening myself up to the possibility of feeling that much pain again, like if I move to Chicago to be with her and things don't work out." Santana sniffled. "I just can't take that chance."

Emma and Santana sat in silence for a minute, and then Emma spoke. "You know, keiki, I remember seeing you the day you met her. I was unloading groceries, and you were leaving to go surfing at Magic Island. The next time I saw you must have been like four days later. You looked totally different. You were so radiant. Your face was glowing. You looked so happy. You looked happier than I've ever seen you before, and wouldn't stop talking about her, remember? And, when you brought her to dinner last week, you looked even happier, if that was even possible."

Santana was still curled up, eyes down. Emma looked at Santana and lifted her chin so Santana was looking at her.

"Keiki, that kind of happiness is a rarity in life, and someone like Quinn may only come along once in your lifetime. Look, I understand how great the pain of losing your parents was. I felt it too, and I still do. But you know, you can't be afraid to take chances just because you've been hurt before. You of all people should know that. Puck says you still surf 30-foot waves, even though you've taken some bad spills before. That takes courage. You should apply that courage to your personal life." Emma looked at Santana and cupped Santana's cheek in her hand. "You should take the _chance_. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And I know you hate feeling like you're being lectured, but _I _am going to take _that_ chance right now." Emma paused for a second and then said, "I think you should move to Chicago with her."

Santana didn't say anything, so Emma continued.

"Let me ask you something - would you move with her if you weren't afraid of the possibility of things not working out and you ending up hurt?"

Santana nodded slowly.

"Well, then if that is what you would do if you weren't afraid of getting hurt, then you should do it. You can't not try because you're scared, Keiki. Look, I know you still harbor pain over what happened to your parents, but think of it this way. Even if going back to the mainland does bring out some painful memories of your parents, if things work out with Quinn, don't you think it would be worth it?"

"Maybe"

"Not maybe. It _would_ be, Keiki. You know, this could be the start of something wonderful, something so positive that it overshadows that pain you've experienced in your life. This could be the kind of thing that is so powerful in such a good way that you won't have to hide from your pain or bottle it up anymore."

Santana continued to lay curled up in her bed. Emma leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, keiki, and I will _always_ be here for you. But, that doesn't mean that you have to _always_ stay here." Emma paused and then said, "I think you will regret it forever if you don't try with Quinn." She paused again and then said, "And, if it doesn't work out, you can always come back." Emma smiled. "The island will always be here for you. As will I." She stood up. "I'm going to visit _tutu_ grandma this evening for dinner. You can join me if you'd like. It might do you some good to get out for a bit and have some dinner with ohana. I'll leave that up to you." She leaned over to stroke Santana's hair one more time, and then left the cottage.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn was glad she had brought a car to Santana's that night. She had lied about needing it for work. She had wanted it for a fallback. She had planned out having the talk with Santana that night, and she had wanted to have the talk at Santana's place. She had thought about having the talk in her hotel room, but she had decided that Santana's place would be a better bet, so just in case it didn't end well, she wouldn't have to picture how it went down in her hotel room for the rest of her stay. After she had decided to have the talk at Santana's, she had rented a car just in case things didn't go well and she needed to escape. As it turns out, the car and the decision to have the talk at Santana's had proved to be a good call. Their talk ranked up there with the shittiest conversations she'd ever had. After she had left Santana's cottage, Quinn had driven back to her hotel, crying the whole way home. She had arrived back to her hotel room and had curled up on the bed and cried some more.

How had she gotten herself into this mess? She had been so stupid, thinking that there was even the slightest chance that they had a future together. She couldn't stay here even if she wanted to, and it was ridiculous to even think that Santana would have ever considered moving across the world to be with her. It was just a stupid island fantasy, and it had been all along. She had blown it up in her head into something that it wasn't and never could be. Why couldn't I have just seen this for what it was, nothing more than a vacation romance? Quinn thought. That's all it ever was. Now I'm devastated, and it's all because I couldn't manage my expectations and keep my emotions under control.

After taking a full day off to spend time alone in her hotel room, Quinn spent the next few days trying to get back to life without Santana. She attended conference panels. She went jogging. She ate out at restaurants. She did everything that she would have done had she not met Santana. Yet, no matter what she did or where she went, there was always something that reminded Quinn of her beautiful island ex-girlfriend. Quinn would envision Santana in the water on her board as she jogged along the beach. She would envision Santana in her car ready to pick Quinn up in the hotel lobby when she came back from her conference panels. She would envision Santana sitting across the table from her and sharing the meal whenever she went out to eat. Quinn couldn't enjoy any of her activities without thinking about Santana, and she found herself once again constantly checking her phone, hoping for a call or message from Santana. Oh well, Quinn thought. It was never going to work. Best to think of the whole thing as just one more thing you did on your trip to Hawaii.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana and Emma exited their car in the parking lot of Kahala Nui, a retirement community about ten minutes from their house, where Emma's mother, Santana's grandmother, was a permanent resident. Emma came to visit her three times a week. Santana's visits were less frequent, maybe a couple times a month. In fact, Santana hadn't seen her tutu in over three weeks, and even though she really didn't feel like leaving her cottage today, part of the reason she went was because she was feeling a bit guilty about not having visited for so long.

Now in her late eighties, Santana's tutu was barely hanging on, both physically and mentally. She was confined to a wheelchair, and dementia had set in. She still recognized Emma, and most of the time she recognized Santana, but beyond that there wasn't much else. She barely spoke and almost never registered anything that was spoken to her.

Emma and Santana walked through the front door of the retirement community and headed towards the lanai garden in the back of the building. Emma usually brought a cooler of food with her, and they would eat in the garden next to the koi pond. Tutu seemed to like it there. Emma handed Santana the cooler and told her to grab a table while she went to bring tutu from her room. Santana found a table, sat down, and lost herself in thought looking at the fish in the koi pond. I wish I could be one of them, she thought. Free of pain. I could just spend all my life in the water and not have to worry about a thing.

"Santana, we're here." Emma's voice brought Santana back to the present. She looked up and saw Emma wheeling tutu over to the table. Santana smiled and got up to greet tutu. She always kissed tutu on the cheek. Normally tutu just smiled faintly and remained silent, but as Santana approached her this time, tutu's face lit up.

"You're different", tutu said, her voice raspy and barely above a whisper, as Santana bent down to kiss her. That in itself was more than tutu usually said in one entire visit.

"Hi tutu", Santana said.

"You're in love", tutu said, and smiled uncharacteristically wide.

Santana smiled faintly. "Look, tutu, I brought you some haupia and guava cake", she said as she started to unpack the cooler of food.

"You're in love", tutu said again. Santana just smiled as she continued to unpack the cooler.

Tutu reached out and grabbed Santana's arm, something she never did. Santana stopped unpacking the cooler and looked at her.

Tutu looked back at Santana. She pulled Santana close and said," Don't let love get away."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey Quinn!" Rachel answered her phone.

"Hey Rach."

"How's it going? Or should I say, 'Aloha'? Wait – where are you? Are you still in Hawaii?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. I leave tomorrow."

"Wow. So, how's your trip? Has it been awesome? Are you sad to come back? Like, what have you been doing?"

Quinn was silent, not sure how to explain everything that has been going on, so Rachel said, "Quinn? Hello? Are you there?"

"Yeah, Rach, I'm still here. I, um…I just don't really know where to begin."

"Okayyyy...", Rachel said. "That's…an unexpected response to someone asking you about your trip to Hawaii." Rachel paused and then asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's okay", Quinn said.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" Rachel could her in Quinn's voice that something was wrong. She waited for Quinn's response, but when she thought she heard crying on the other end of the line, she said, "Quinn – what's happening? Are you alright?"

"I met someone, Rachel. I met someone and she broke my heart." Quinn sobbed into the phone.

"Wait, what?" Rachel said. "Oh my God, wh-what happened?"

Quinn told Rachel all about Santana, how they met, their first date, the surfing, the fishing, the hiking, meeting Santana's family, and Santana's secret beach. She told Rachel about how she fell head over heels for Santana, how much time they had spent together, and how it had only been two weeks but it felt like they had spent a lifetime together. She told Rachel about the growing strain of Quinn's departure that they had both felt, and then about their tearful breakup almost a week ago.

"Wow. I'm so sorry, Quinn."

"Thanks. It's all just so…crazy. I mean, I just, I don't know. This whole thing is just…insane. Like, I thought this shit only happened in the movies", Quinn said, still sobbing.

"So, you asked her to move back with you, and she said no?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure", Quinn said.

"Why don't you just stay out there?"

"What?"

"Why don't you just stay out there?"

"Rach – my job is in Chicago. My whole life is in Chicago. I can't just not come back."

"But the woman of your dreams is out there, where you are right now."

"Rach, you're talking about me totally upending my life and-"

"You can get another job, Quinn." Rachel cut her off and then continued. "You can get another apartment. You can even make new friends, although I for one would miss you if you left Chicago. But seriously, meeting someone like that…I mean, if what you say is true about how hard you both fell for each other, then meeting someone like that is like a once in a lifetime thing. Honestly, I'm fucking envious right now. God, if I had met someone like that for me, I wouldn't think twice. I'd do whatever it took to be with that person."

"Seriously?" Quinn asked, a bit dubious.

"Seriously. I mean, if I felt for someone the way you feel for Santana, then yes – I would definitely do whatever I could to stay together."

"Well, I don't know. I guess you've got more guts than I do."

"Quinn – what's the worst that could happen? You stay out there, you get a job, you see how it goes, and if it doesn't work, you can move back. You're obviously madly in love with this girl, and well, I mean, it's Hawaii. It's not like you'd have to move to Antarctica to be with her."

"I don't know" Quinn said again. "I mean, I have so much back home. My entire life is back there."

Rachel was silent for a moment, and then said, "Let me ask you something, Quinn. If your entire life is back here, then why are you crying over someone who lives over there?"


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you for all of the feedback. Here is another chapter.

Chapter 12

Quinn finished packing the last of her belongings in her suitcase, save for the outfit she was going to wear on the plane tomorrow. She zipped it up, took a deep breath, and then looked around her suite one last time to make sure she had everything. Her glance fell on the small dining table, and she remembered the meal she and Santana had shared after their drive around the island and their visit to Santana's special beach. She took a deep, sad breath and exhaled, then stepped out onto the balcony. She passed the bed in which she and Santana had slept in and made love in, and she looked at it wistfully. My last night in Hawaii, she thought, and I can't wait to leave. I have to be like the only person who's ever thought that when they visited here. This trip sure did not turn out at all the way I thought it would. I figured it would be conference panels, some good meals, and maybe some book time on the beach. Never would I have ever guessed that I would have met someone, fallen in love, and then had my heart broken, all in under three weeks. This will be the last business trip I ever go on, she mused. She looked out onto the moonlit water, and her eye caught a couple strolling along the beach. They were laughing and holding hands. Quinn flashed back to the very first day when she had arrived and saw a couple walking on the beach. Her thoughts then quickly turned to Santana and the night they stood together on this exact balcony, when Quinn had told her how she couldn't believe her fantasy of having someone special here had actually come true. Quinn's eyes teared up as she stared out at the beach, and she shut them tight, as if doing so would block out the memories instead of the view.

Quinn's talk with Rachel earlier in the day had sent Quinn off thinking again. Rachel had brought up a good point, Quinn thought. Why was I so hung up on a girl who lived here, when my whole life is there? What does that mean? Does that mean something? Does that mean that we're supposed to be together? Does that mean that I should really consider giving up everything I have to be with Santana? A part of Quinn wanted to go out and find Santana right now. She envisioned herself showing up on Santana's doorstep, or maybe tracking her down on her secret beach. She would run into Santana's arms and tell her that she was staying in Hawaii. Staying for her. That she was forsaking her whole life in Chicago – her window office in her hip downtown office building, her luxury apartment, her family and friends - just to stay in Hawaii for her beautiful island girlfriend. Then, Santana would melt into her arms and tell her how much she loved Quinn and how much it meant to her that she was staying and giving up everything for her. Quinn thought about how glorious their reuniting kiss would be. She pictured that scenario for a moment longer, and then a feeling of intense sadness washed over her, as she realized once again that stuff like that only happens in Hollywood.

Quinn headed inside and closed the balcony door. It was 9pm. Her flight left in 12 hours. She wanted to get some sleep, but she didn't think that sleep would be possible, so she laid down in her bed. She closed her eyes, but her mind kept swirling with thoughts. Maybe I just need to get out of this room, she thought. Maybe I should grab a drink, or just take a walk around Waikiki for a bit. She got off the bed, slipped on a pair of shoes, and grabbed her purse. She opened her door to leave and froze in her tracks.

Standing in front of her was Santana, her hand up as if she was about to knock. She was wearing jeans, a black fitted T-shirt, a pair of Converse All Stars, and a black mid-weight jacket. She was carrying her purse on one shoulder and a backpack on the other. She looked straight at Quinn, her mouth open, and Quinn could see heavy bags under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept for a week. I guess I'm not the only one who has been taking things hard, Quinn thought. She stood there and stared at Santana.

"I-I-I don't have a lot of warm clothes", Santana stammered softly. "I'm wearing them…and the rest of what I'm bringing…fit in this." She held up her backpack.

Quinn continued to stare.

Santana looked at Quinn and said, "I'm ready to go with you". She looked down and then looked back up, and in the most vulnerable voice Quinn had ever heard, said, "that is…if you…still…want me to …?"

Quinn continued to stare at Santana. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Somehow, this must be a prank. She was waiting for someone to jump out of nowhere with a camera and say "Surprise!" But no, this _was_ happening. This was real. The girl she had fallen for was here, in the flesh, standing right in front of her. Santana had come back, and she had come back to move to Chicago, so she could be with Quinn. This was actually happening.

"Y-y-you would move to Chicago? F-f-for me?

Santana nodded slowly.

Quinn stared for a moment longer, and then a smile broke across her face. Tears started flowing out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Santana started crying as well, and dropped her backpack and purse to the floor. Quinn took two small steps forward until she was standing right in front of Santana. She took Santana's hands in hers, and then moved her hands up Santana's arms until her hands cupped Santana's cheeks. She moved her lips about an inch from Santana's, and paused there for a moment, then pressed them against Santana's and delivered the most glorious kiss of her life. Santana returned the kiss and put her arms around Quinn's waist, and they remained locked like that for over a minute. Quinn broke the kiss and pulled back, tears of joy streaming down her face. Santana's face mirrored Quinn's, and she stared at Quinn with her deep brown eyes. Quinn looked back at Santana, and then cupped her cheeks in her hands once again.

"Yes", Quinn said, in a voice that was almost a whisper.

"W-w-what?" Santana asked. She had forgotten the question that she had just asked Quinn.

"Yes. Of course I still want you to go with me", Quinn said, still crying tears of joy.

Santana smiled through her own tears of joy as she remembered what she had asked Quinn. Quinn smiled back, happier than she had ever been in her life.

"I love you, beautiful", Quinn said

"I love you too, baby", Santana said back.

Quinn continued to look at Santana for a moment longer, then she took Santana by the hands and pulled her into the room.


	13. Chapter 13

So, that was the end of the first act, so to speak. As I said, this story is far from over. This act will have more ups and downs. FYI in case you were wondering, I already have the story pretty much written. I just need to polish each chapter, and then I upload chapters when I am done doing so. Thank you so much once again for reading, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Chapter 13.

"Holy shit!" Santana swore from the back seat as a car swerved three lanes across the inbound Kennedy right in front of their cab. Their cab driver slammed on the breaks, laid on his horn and hollered out his window.

"Welcome to Chicago, hon", Quinn said, and she felt Santana's grip tighten on her hand. They had landed about an hour ago. Quinn had checked the weather when they landed. It was currently 38 degrees. In April. It had been 56 degrees the day before. Only in Chicago, Quinn thought. Santana hadn't brought enough warm clothes, so Quinn had bought her a thick hoodie that said "Chicago" across the front and a pair of fluffy socks from a souvenir shop in the airport. Now they were slogging their way through the tail end of rush hour morning traffic on their way to Quinn's apartment.

"God, it's freezing here", Santana said, as she snuggled into Quinn for warmth and buried her face into the front of Quinn's jacket. She was sitting on the driver's side, and the driver had his window down.

"It's okay, hon. I got you", Quinn said, as she put her arms around Santana. "We'll buy you some warmer clothes tomorrow."

"Brrrr…" Santana said, shivering. "Shitty weather…crazy drivers…I'm already regretting my decision to move here", she said. She looked up at Quinn and pouted.

"Don't say that, beautiful. You don't really mean that, do you?"

"No, I don't really mean that", Santana said, as she buried her face back into Quinn's jacket. After Santana had surprised Quinn at the hotel, Quinn had called the airlines to purchase another plane ticket. There hadn't been one available on her current flight, so Quinn pushed her flight to the next red eye and got Santana a seat next to her. The flight was relatively empty, so they were fortunate to actually have a row of three seats all to themselves. They lifted the arm rests between the seats, and Quinn sat with her back against the window, legs stretched out along the seats. Santana nestled herself between Quinn's legs, resting her head on Quinn's chest. Santana had been nervous to fly. She had only been on a plane once, and that was 15 years ago, when she had moved to Hawaii. Quinn was wiped out and had wanted to sleep a bit on the nine hour flight, but Santana kept clutching her, so they ended up talking most of the flight. Santana told Quinn how she had cried pretty much non-stop since Quinn had told her "We're done" and walked out of her cottage. She told Quinn about how she had so badly wanted to take the plunge and move with Quinn but just couldn't muster the courage. She told Quinn about how Emma had come into her cottage and had given her a pep talk about taking chances that are worth it, and how if things worked out between the two of them, it could be the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to Santana, and powerful enough to overshadow the painful memories of her parents that she was afraid of uncovering upon returning to the mainland. She told Quinn about how she had gone to visit her grandma, and how her grandma, who ordinarily didn't say anything, told Santana twice she could tell that Santana was in love, and not to let love get away. She told Quinn about, after all of that, she had sat alone in her cottage for two more days, thinking, and after a week of heartbreak, she resolved on the fact that not having Quinn would be harder than taking the chance on the possibility of more emotional pain. She had remembered roughly when Quinn was leaving, so she put on the warmest clothes she owned, packed the rest of what she intended to bring in her backpack, and took the bus into Waikiki. She had planned on showing up at Quinn's hotel and knocking on the door, and if Quinn didn't answer, she was going to wait outside the door until she did. As it turns out, right as she was about to knock, Quinn had opened the door.

Quinn echoed Santana's sentiments about the last week having been miserable. She told Santana that she had been unable to do anything without thinking of her. She told Santana that she had spoken to her friend Rachel, and how Rachel had asked Quinn how it was that Quinn was so upset about a girl in Hawaii when Quinn kept saying that her whole life was in Chicago. She told Santana about how she had fantasized about actually staying in Hawaii and tracking Santana down, running into her arms, professing her undying love, and telling her that she would stay. Santana had laughed at that and jockeyed back about the waste of plane ticket money when they could have just stayed in Hawaii after all, but she realized that, for them to be together, this truly was the more feasible option. Quinn was set up in Chicago. It would have been a much harder move both physically and practically for her to make. Santana's major roadblocks had been emotional, and now that she had decided to make that move, there wasn't much holding her back. Santana did throw in that she still couldn't predict if she would be happy in Chicago, but she was willing to give it a shot. Quinn said she understood that possibility, and that she was just so happy that Santana was taking the chance. Quinn realized that Santana was moving for her, not the other way around, so the needed to manage her own expectations. She reminded Santana that they could discuss options together if Santana didn't like Chicago, but at least they would be making plans together.

They talked about this new life they were starting together, and what they were to each other. Quinn had offered to help Santana find and pay for her own apartment for a bit if she felt too uncomfortable to move in right sway, but Santana had scoffed at that, saying the whole reason she was moving was to be with Quinn. Quinn knew that Santana hadn't brought a lot of money with her, so she offered to support them both until Santana found a job. Santana said she would try to find something as soon as possible. In truth, Quinn made enough money that Santana really didn't have to work. She had offered that up, and she and Santana had argued about that on the plane. Quinn didn't see the point of Santana rushing to find work if she didn't know what she wanted to do in Chicago, but Santana said that she didn't want to feel like a kept woman, so Quinn dropped it. They both agreed, though, that even though things were moved fast, they were going to grant each other the title of "girlfriend". They were happy. They were happy together, and they were happy because of each other, and they wanted everyone to know.

"Well, here we are", Quinn said, as the cab pulled up to Quinn's high rise apartment on inner Lake Shore Drive in Chicago's Gold Coast area. Quinn paid the cab driver, got their luggage, and the two of them headed into the building.

"Wow", Santana said, looking around the lobby. "This place is like a hotel." Quinn smiled, and they took the elevator up to Quinn's floor. Quinn unlocked the door to her apartment and ushered Santana in.

"Well, this is it", Quinn said, as Santana looked around. Quinn's apartment was fourteen floors up. It was a large two bedroom apartment with an open kitchen complete with a dishwasher. The living area was in front and to the right. The windows looked out onto Lake Michigan. To the left was a separate dining area. The bedrooms were to the right past the living area. A bathroom separated them, and the master bedroom had its own bathroom.

Santana looked out the living room window. "Great view", she said.

"Thanks, hon. Wait until the summer, when the trees are all green. Hopefully they start blooming soon. Winter lasts forever here."

"I forgot what seasons look like", Santana said. She continued to stare out the window. Quinn came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Santana's waist. Santana closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto Quinn's shoulder, and at that moment she realized just how tired she was. The past week and nine hour flight with no sleep had wiped her out. She was still having trouble believing that she was actually here, and her head was spinning with thoughts, but she was just too tired to process them all, so she kept her eyes closed and tried not to think about anything.

"Hi beautiful", Quinn whispered into her ear.

"Hi, baby", Santana said back.

"I'm so glad you're here", Quinn said.

"Me too", Santana replied.

"How do you feel?", Quinn asked.

"Sleepy", Santana replied.

"Me too." This past week, Quinn had gotten just about as much sleep as Santana, and exhaustion was taking over her as well.

Quinn kissed the side of Santana's neck, and then gently turned Santana around so they were facing each other. Quinn still couldn't quite believe that Santana was here with her. It was almost like the last week had been a dream, and she half-expected to wake up anytime now in her hotel room in Waikiki. She looked into Santana's eyes and said, "I am so happy you're here, with me". Santana smiled, her eyes sleepy. "I will never forget that you moved here for me", Quinn continued. "I will always be there for you, and I will do whatever I can to make you the happiest woman in the world".

"Thank you", Santana whispered. She continued to smile her sleepy smile. Quinn continued to hold her and leaned in to kiss her on the lips, and they remained like that for a while.


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you for all of the reviews, PMs, etc. FYI I currently live in Chicago. It seems like part of the appeal of this story is that the descriptions of the locations add authenticity, so I chose cities I could write about, unlike my last story, which took places in locations I've either never been or with which I am only vaguely familiar. Also, some people have inquired as to how long this story will be. I don't have an exact word count, but my guess is maybe about 30 chapters. Thanks again, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 14

After arriving at the apartment from the airport, Quinn and Santana napped for most of the day. They woke up in the evening and took a bath together in Quinn's Jacuzzi bathtub. Quinn was ready to go back to bed, but Santana was hungry, so Quinn ordered a deep dish pizza to be delivered to the apartment.

"Oh my God, this is good", Santana said, as she unhinged her jaw to take another bite of the massive sausage, green pepper, onion, mushroom, cheese and tomato-ey mess in her hand.

"Yup. This is Chicago's claim to fame. That and hot dogs. And Daaaaa Bears." Quinn exaggerated the Chicago accent, and Santana laughed with her mouth full.

"Sorry", Santana mumbled, through a mouthful of pizza.

"That's okay, hon. You're in Chicago now. When eating deep dish pizza, manners are an option."

They finished off half of the pizza and then fell asleep again. The emotional week, long travel, and food coma had all added up, and they slept through the night.

Quinn took the next day off of work to help Santana get situated. She gave Santana a key to the apartment, and told her that she wanted Santana to consider the apartment just as much hers at Quinn's. She took Santana to the bank to open up an account. Then they walked down Michigan Avenue. Santana spent most of the walk looking up, marveling at the tall buildings and grandness of downtown Chicago's main drag. They stopped to take some pictures along the way and then ducked into Nordstrom. They exited with two full bags of stylish warm clothes for Santana, and then headed down Grand Avenue to eat lunch at Quinn's favorite lunch spot in the Streeterville neighborhood. Quinn pointed out the office building where she worked, right across the street from the restaurant.

After lunch, they dropped the bags of clothes off at the apartment, and then Quinn took Santana for her first ride on the 'L', Chicago's extensive train system. They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring nearby north side neighborhoods. They ended up at a Crate and Barrel and ordered a dresser to be delivered to Quinn's apartment for all of Santana's new clothes. By the time they got back to the apartment it was almost 8pm. They discussed going out for dinner, but they were both still a little wiped out from the previous long week and time change, so they ate the rest of the leftover pizza, took a long bath together, and fell asleep early.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn went back to work the next day. She arrived at the office early to get situated, anticipating an extremely busy day. She usually kept up with emails on her phone even when she was out of the office, but she wanted to dedicate all of yesterday to Santana. Quinn did a lot of her work through email, so the correspondence had piled up. She was in her office, drinking coffee and rifling through emails and phone messages when Kitty knocked on her door.

"Hey stranger, welcome back", Kitty said enthusiastically.

"Hey Kitty." Quinn came around from her desk and hugged her. Kitty was dressed in a blue dress shirt, matching scarf, black skirt, and black closed toed heels. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail. The office dress code was officially on the casual side of dress casual, but Kitty, like Quinn, often dialed it up a notch. Something we have in common, Quinn thought. Quinn also knew that Kitty, like herself, was openly gay. Something else we have in common. Quinn was aware that Kitty thought Quinn was attractive, but nothing had ever happened between them. Quinn thought Kitty was attractive as well. She's attractive, and she knows it, Quinn thought. Once in a while Kitty openly flirted with Quinn, and when they had first started working together Quinn had thought about what it would be like to be with her, but Quinn had been nervous about pursuing it since they worked closely together, so she had decided to keep things professional between them. She's cute though, Quinn thought, as Kitty took a seat on the other side of Quinn's desk and crossed her legs. Focus, Quinn, she told herself. You're in love, and don't go there. Get back on task.

"So, how was your trip? Tell me all about it", Kitty said.

"It was great. I mean, the hotel was really nice, the conference was great, and the panels were really informative. I learned a lot. Plus, you couldn't beat the weather."

"Nice. And…free time? Did you get to explore a bit? Break the company credit card on some good restaurants? Do some surfing?" Kitty mimicked the motion of surfing with her arms.

"Actually, I did go surfing. And I ate at some great places. The food out there is amazing."

"Cool. Glad to hear. Hey, I thought you were supposed to be back in the office yesterday."

"I was originally scheduled to be, but my flight changed", Quinn said.

"Really? United bumped you? That's weird. You fly them all the time. Aren't you like a Platinum Member, like me?"

Do I tell her? Quinn asked herself. She didn't really want to bring the whole Santana story up in the office, but Kitty was the closest person to her in the office, and she figured Kitty would find out soon anyway, so she decided to give her an abbreviated version of the story. "Actually, I changed my own flight." Quinn paused for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to sum up everything, and then said, "I brought someone home with me."

"Wait…what?" Kitty asked, not quite comprehending what Quinn just told her.

"I brought someone home with me. Look, it's kind of a long and complicated story, but the short version is that I met someone there. She's from Hawaii, and we really hit it off, and, well, we kind of fell in love."

"What?" Kitty said again, incredulous.

"I know, it sounds crazy, and well, like I said, it's a long story. I don't want to get into it right now, but the bottom line is that she came back here with me so we could be together. I pushed my flight back to the red eye so I could get her a seat on the same flight as me. We got back two days ago, slept all day, and we took yesterday to get her situated. She's living with me."

"Wait – she's _living_ with you?" Kitty's eyes popped out of her head.

"Yup. I know, crazy, right?"

"So, let me get this straight", Kitty said, like a prosecuting attorney. "You met someone there like three weeks ago, brought that person back here two days ago, and moved her right in to your place?"

"Yup", Quinn affirmed.

"Wow. Okaaaaay… Sounds like one hell of a souvenir you brought back."

"Kitty, be nice."

"Most people would have brought back like a keychain, or a hula girl bobblehead or something", Kitty said and laughed.

"Kitty, be nice", Quinn said again.

"I'm just playin'. You gotta admit, though - that's crazy. I mean, if you were me, and I told you what you just told me, what would you say to me?"

"Yeah, I see your point. I'd say that's crazy as well", Quinn admitted.

"Exactly. Well, like, what does she do?"

"Well, she's a surfer and a lifeguard, and she works on fishing boats, and stuff like that."

"Wow. She sounds very accomplished", Kitty said sarcastically. Quinn was about to tell Kitty that Santana had saved her life, but she paused to consider the wisdom of getting into the story any deeper than she already was, and as she paused, Kitty kept on going. "Anyway, I guess I'd like to meet her sometime. We should do dinner soon, with the girls. You can bring her along." Quinn and Kitty were friends with a group of women that went out for dinner on a regular basis. "Anyway, this new Hawaiian move-in girlfriend thing of yours is to be continued, since the whole thing sounds as ludicrous as some reality TV shit, and I want to hear more, but we need to hit the ground running. The big news around here is, since you were out, I made some progress in pitching the Kensington account, and…drum roll… we are in the final round!" Kitty said excitedly.

"Really? That's great!" Quinn said. The Kensington account was a large prospective account that their company had been working on for the last two months towards landing the exclusive marketing duties.

"Yeah. We found out yesterday", Kitty said. "They're down to picking between three big marketing agencies, and we're one of them. Innovation, NRM and us."

"Wow. Big names. Stiff competition. Well, nice work on keeping that moving while I was gone", Quinn said. "And thanks. I owe you big."

"Well, you're welcome, but you're going to be paying it back starting right now. And, since you didn't bring _me_ back a Hawaiian hottie as well, I'm gonna be on your ass like white on rice." Kitty smiled. "The final round of pitches is in two months, and we have a lot of work to do. They want a full capabilities presentation, as well as an integrated sample campaign. Plus", Kitty said and motioned with her finger between her and Quinn, "Shelby wants _us_ to lead the team for the final pitch." Shelby Corcoran was the Group Director of Digital Marketing, and she oversaw Quinn, Kitty, and anyone else who worked in the Digital Marketing department.

"Wow", Quinn said. This was bigger than she thought it would be. It's going to be a busy two months, she thought. She had hoped to ease her way back into work so she could spend more time rather than less with Santana, but it now seemed like that was not going to be the case.

"Yup. We're going to be spending a lot of time together", Kitty said. "It's gonna be some late nights." She winked at Quinn.

Quinn ignored the wink and tried to remain professional. "Alright, well I'm ready. Just give me an hour to get caught up, and then I'm all yours."

"You got it. Let's meet in the west conference room at ten. I'll assemble the team." Kitty paused for a second and then said, "You and me – we're gonna land this thing." She rose to leave, and as she reached Quinn's door, she turned back and smiled. "Nice to have you back". She winked again at Quinn and walked out of Quinn's office. Quinn watched her walk away for a moment and then smiled, shook her head, and went back to her inbox of emails.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn spent the next couple of days at work playing catchup and working with Kitty to set the groundwork for the final Kensington pitch. She rose early and was out of the apartment before Santana even woke up. She tried to make it home for dinner each night, but sometimes she ended up working from home while Santana watched TV. For her part, Santana was still trying to get used to her new surroundings. The weather had warmed back up to the mid fifties, and with her new wardrobe, she was comfortable enough to wander around the neighborhood on foot and take the L to nearby neighborhoods. She went jogging on the lake front. She took the blue line to Wicker Park and explored the trendy shops. She walked around Navy Pier and Millenium Park.

Quinn took Santana to Lincoln Park Zoo their first weekend back. They took the 151 bus up to Fullerton and spent the morning walking around.

"Aaaaaaa! This is so much fun!" Santana squealed, as she and Quinn watched the chimpanzees chase each other around their outdoor habitat.

Quinn took Santana's hand and nuzzled into her neck. "I'm glad you like", she said. "Do you have a zoo in Honolulu?"

"Yeah, but it's small. It's actually near the hotel you stayed at in Waikiki. It's not like this one, though. I mean, this one is huge", Santana said. Then she looked up and around her. "Like, everything is huge here in Chicago. This is like, the most massive city ever. I feel like an ant", she said and smiled.

Quinn smiled back. "You'll get used to it. It will feel like home in no time". She gave Santana's hand a reassuring squeeze and lead her to the next exhibit.

They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the zoo, then took the bus back to the apartment. That evening, Quinn took Santana out for tapas. Quinn put on her Saturday evening best, and Santana wore one of the new outfits that Quinn had bought for her, a black dress with a cute matching jacket and a pair of new black open toe heels.

"Do you guys have tapas in Hawaii?" Quinn asked Santana, as they were seated at a cozy table for two.

"I don't know. Maybe. If we do, I've never been."

"It's like appetizer portions of Spanish cuisine. Kind of like making a meal out of pupus", Quinn said, trying to draw a parallel.

"I get it", Santana said. "What should we order?"

"Quinn paused for a moment and then said, "How about you order?"

"What?" Santana asked.

"I want _you_ to order for _me_", Quinn said. "Remember our first date? You asked me to order for you. So now, I want you to order for me. I eat everything on the menu." She smiled and winked at Santana.

The waiter came, and Santana ordered a bunch of items for her and Quinn to share.

"So, how is work going?" Santana asked when the waiter left. "You seem like you're busy".

"It's fine. I mean, I'm super busy, but it's going well", Quinn said. She took a sip of wine and then said, "We're pitching a new account, and I'm leading the charge with another co-worker."

"Oh yeah?" Santana raised an eyebrow. "What's he like?"

"She. It's a she. And she's good. I've worked with her a lot in the last couple of years. She's smart, she's ambitious, and she knows her stuff."

"Wow. Sounds like quite a woman", Santana said and then looked down.

"Hon, stop", Quinn looked at Santana and smiled. "It's just a co-worker. I like her because she's good at her job. I mean, she's a friend too, but that's all." Quinn paused, and then looked at Santana in the eye. "Do I detect a little bit of jealousy, Santana Lopez?" She raised her eyebrows and smiled again at Santana as she asked.

Santana smiled back sheepishly. "No, baby. I mean, maybe. Or, maybe not. I don't know. Maybe it's just because this is a new city for me, and this whole thing is new for me, and I'm trying to get my bearings, and, well, I don't know." Santana paused for a moment and then said, "I didn't mean to come off sounding jealous".

"Well, you don't have to be", Quinn reassured her. "I'm all yours. Speaking of friends and co-workers, though, Kitty - that's her name – she'd like to meet you. She mentioned that we should all go out to dinner soon. We have a group of friends who we do dinner with on a regular basis."

"That sounds fun", Santana said. Inside she perked up a bit. It would be nice to meet some new people and make some new friends. She hoped that Quinn's friends would become her friends as well, and they wouldn't just think of her as 'Quinn's girlfriend'.

Quinn studied Santana's face for a moment. She could tell Santana was still trying to adjust to her new surroundings. Quinn momentarily put herself in Santana's position, and she empathized. It was a big move for Santana, Quinn acknowledged, and I need to do whatever I can to make her feel at home.

"Hey beautiful", Quinn said and raised her wine glass. Santana did the same. "To our first date here in Chicago." They clinked glasses. Quinn looked right at Santana and then said, "I love you. I'm so glad you're here, and I hope you grow to love this city and call it home as I do."

Santana looked back at Quinn, smiled, and said "I love you, too, and I hope so too."

After dinner Quinn and Santana walked arm-in-arm back towards home. The forecast had called for the possibility of some light night time rain, but the weather had held up, so instead of taking a cab, they walked down Division Street, past all of the bars en route to the apartment. It was just past 10pm, and the crowd was starting to filter in.

"This area is called Rush and Division. There are a bunch of bars around here, and they're open pretty late. Some of them are open until 5am", Quinn said. "If you want nightlife, this is a good area to be in."

"Wow", Santana said. 5am was late. A lot of people in Hawaii get up a 5am. "Do you have a favorite club here?" Santana asked.

"I actually don't go out to the bars around here very often anymore, but when I first moved to Chicago I was out all the time. I still come here, though, once in a while". Quinn pointed to a bar called Mother's, that they were just passing by. "Do you want to go in for a drink?"

"Sure", Santana said. They pulled out their ID's and headed into the club.

"There are two separate areas to this bar", Quinn said, as she motioned to the bartender for drinks. "This front area is just a bar, and they also do Karaoke on that little stage". Quinn pointed to a small stage against the side wall, where a DJ was setting up a laptop computer and turntables. "Back there", Quinn pointed to an archway, "is the dance club area, and they have bands play back there as well."

"Wow, this place is cool", Santana said. She liked the vibe. She wasn't much of a night club person, but she did like this place. It had a comfortable, homey feel to it. She looked around some more and saw more people filtering in. "This place seems popular", she said to Quinn.

"Yeah, it definitely is. This place will be packed from now until like 5am."

"Jeez", Santana said. She looked around. The bartenders were already scrambling to keep up. Finally, Quinn and Santana's drinks came. Quinn paid for them and ordered another round right away.

"Did you just order another round?" Santana asked, as she took a sip of her drink.

"Yup. With this place being so crowded, you gotta think ahead." Quinn said. "Plus, we're gonna need some more liquid courage if we're gonna sing karaoke." She winked at Santana.

Santana's mouth dropped open, and she stared at Quinn. "W-w-wait, baby – you want me to sing karaoke?"

Quinn smiled mischievously at Santana. "Welcome to Chicago, hon", she said, and Santana gulped nervously and took another sip of her drink.


	15. Chapter 15

Aloha all, here is another chapter. This may be the last update for a day or two, since I am getting busy at work. Also, just a few thoughts from me before we continue:

1. In this act I will be introducing more characters. Most will be from Glee. Again, this story is AU, so the characters in the story may run the gamut of accurately portraying Glee's actual characters to only slightly resembling Glee's actual characters.

2. Every good story has conflict. Conflict in this story means having protagonists and antagonists. There are no truly evil characters in this story, but I will warn you that there are times when some of the characters act in questionably moral ways. If you have a favorite character on Glee, your favorite character may end up in this story and do something out of character as compared to that character on the actual show. There may be times when characters do something that you may deem unsavory. If the thought of your favorite character doing something unsavory offends you, then this story may not be for you. Also, how I use the characters in this story has nothing to do with how much I like them on the actual show. I just thought that it would be fun to play with the characters and alter personalities on some of them in an AU story. FYI, chances are that I will write another AU story and alter personalities again. Speaking of which, I will take suggestions for themes if you have one for my next story. Please PM me as opposed to posting suggestions as a review.

3. As you can probably guess by the introduction of Kitty in Chapter 14, things might get a little rough (btw I loved the responses to that chapter). But, as with my other story, in this story Quinntana is endgame. However, it will not be smooth sailing all the way to the end of the story. There is more rough swell coming, so if you're not game for some conflict, then this story may not be for you.

4. I appreciate all reviews, feedback, constructive criticism, etc. The only things not welcome are straight-up insults (those get deleted right away). For those who don't like the story, you don't have to read it. There are other stories on FF, so you can look around until you find one that you do like. Also, critics are welcome to PM me (as opposed to commenting anonymously as a guest) so we can open a private dialog. I'm happy to discuss. For the rest of you who have been following the story, I hope you are enjoying it and follow it through to its conclusion. Thanks again for reading.

Chapter 15

The next week was busy for Quinn. She spent a lot of evenings at the office working on the Kensington pitch with Kitty. She tried to leave work at a reasonable hour so she and Santana could have dinner together, but unfortunately that only happened twice. Quinn loved to cook, and she had been looking forward to cooking dinner for Santana on a regular basis. Actually, she had been looking forward to doing a lot of things for or with Santana, and she felt horrible that she wasn't able to spend more time with her, but real life had taken over. She was back from her trip to paradise, and the Kensington pitch was demanding on her time.

For her part, Santana was trying to figure out what to do with her life now that she was living in Chicago. She had been looking around for jobs and was even considering going to college, which she had never done, although she had absolutely no idea what she would study. The whole marketing thing that Quinn did sounded kind of interesting, but Santana was a little turned off by the hours that were apparently required. She even thought about just getting a job at a clothing store, or maybe even being a lifeguard at one of the beaches on Lake Michigan when the weather warmed up.

"Q?" Santana started in one night over dinner. They were sitting at the dining room table. Quinn had prepared a delicious chicken penne pasta and garlic bread meal for dinner. It was the first dinner the two had eaten together in four days.

"San?" Quinn answered.

"I'm glad you're home for dinner tonight."

"I am too." Quinn took Santana's hand. "And I'm sorry I haven't been around more. I really didn't think work would be so busy."

"It's okay", Santana said. "I guess I just thought that you would be around more, at least at night. I mean, I knew you worked during the day, but I figured you'd be home more for dinners and TV and snuggle time and, you know, other stuff..." She smiled.

"I know", Quinn said. "And again, I'm sorry. I really do want to be home more. In fact, there are so many things I want to do with you." She paused, and then said, "But the good thing is that, you're here for good. There will be time to do all of those things in the future."

Santana smiled. "I guess so. I mean, it's not like I'm on vacation or anything."

Quinn smiled. She gave Santana's hand a squeeze and then let go. "So, how is job hunting going?" she asked while taking a bite of pasta.

"I don't know. I mean, I just don't know what I want to do with myself now that I am here", Santana sighed.

"Well, what are you considering?"

"I don't know. I mean, lots of things. Bartending, a clothing store, lifeguard at a beach. Maybe even going to college, although I don't know what I would study", Santana answered.

"Well you could always just get a job bartending or doing retail for now until you figure things out. And, if you want to stay with whatever you end up doing, that's fine too", Quinn said, trying to be as supportive as possible.

"I don't know. I feel like maybe I should do more than just work in a bar or a clothing store. I mean, you're like this high powered marketing big wig, and I'm just some lolo, the dumb island girl who can't do anything more than fold clothes or pour drinks." Santana pouted.

"Hey – you're _not_ lolo", Quinn said. She looked at Santana and took her hand again. "You're the woman I love." She looked down and then looked up. "I mean, I have to tell you – the rat race isn't all that it's cracked to to be."

"Then why be in it? I mean, why work so many hours if it's not worth it?" Santana asked.

"Because it's for us, hon. I'm thinking about our future", Quinn said. "Plus, I like my job".

"I know. Security. I get it".

They went quiet for a second, then Santana said, "Babe - do you remember when we were surfing near Diamond Head? Laying on our boards, feeling the swell gently rise and fall below us? Looking around at the scenery?"

"Of course." Quinn paused and then smiled. "When you kissed me and told me that would help me stand up on the board?"

"And then I convinced you to spend the rest of the day with me?" Santana said.

"And then we went fishing and saw the sunset and had the most amazing day and night ever?" Quinn continued.

"Yes, that day." Santana confirmed.

"Of course I remember that day", Quinn said. She looked at Santana and smiled. Santana smiled and then looked down.

"San – are you okay?"

Santana looked up. "Yeah." She paused and then looked right into Quinn's eyes and said, "I just want to feel that again. I want to feel like that all the time."

Quinn smiled at Santana and thought to herself, I know. I want to feel that again too.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Good morning, Shelby. You wanted to see me?" Quinn knocked on her boss's door.

"Quinn, come on in. Have a seat." Quinn entered Shelby's corner office and took a seat in front of her desk. Shelby turned away from her computer and folded her hands on her desk. "So, I just want to find out how the Kensington pitch is going."

"Uh, it's going great", Quinn said. "Kitty and I have the overall outline for the final presentation done. I started fleshing out the details for the capabilities presentation, and Kitty has the creative team working on concepts for the sample campaign."

"Great", Shelby said. "Just let me know when you're ready for me to take a look." She got up and put her hands on her desk. "Quinn, I'm going to be frank with you. Landing the Kensington account would be a big win for this agency." She paused and then said. "I'm depending on you and Kitty to successfully lead the team on this pitch and take this home for us."

"Right", Quinn said. No pressure, she thought sarcastically. She smiled. "We're on it."

Shelby stared at Quinn for a second and then continued. "Quinn, winning this account would not only be a big win for the agency, but it would also be a big win for you. This is the kind of thing that could take you to the next level." Shelby walked around to the front of her desk and leaned against it in front of Quinn. "In a few years I intend to take the Chief Operations Officer position. I'll be looking for someone to take my place as the Group Director of Digital Marketing." She looked right at Quinn. "I think that person could be you."

Quinn's mouth dropped and her eyes went open. "Wow", she said. "Thank you. I mean, that's…that's a big jump for me."

"Yes it is. But I think you'd be the right person. You're smart. You're ambitious. You've got a natural talent for marketing. People here like working with you." Shelby looked right at Quinn. "You're the kind of person who could one day run this company, or one like it. Not many people have that in them. You should push it and go as far as you can."

Quinn sat still. She kept eye contact with Shelby, but her mind was turning cartwheels. Before she left for Hawaii, she was dead set on heading for the C Suite. Getting the opportunity to lead the Kensington pitch should have been the most exciting news of her life, since winning the pitch would mean a guaranteed boost to her career. Yet, ever since meeting Santana, she has been doubting whether she wanted to sideline everything else in life just to get to the top of the corporate ladder. Something's happening to me, Quinn thought. Could it be that I'm losing focus? Is getting to the top not as important as it was even just a month ago? Am I actually struggling to find a balance between work and life?

"Absolutely, Shelby." Quinn said. She put on a confident smile and stood up. "Thanks again for the vote of confidence. Kitty and I will bring this one home for us."

"Wonderful, Quinn", Shelby said and smiled. "I knew you were the right person to lead this charge."

Quinn left Shelby's office and shut the door. She paused outside Shelby's office and closed her eyes. Then she exhaled a deep breath, opened her eyes, and walked back to her office. She shut the door and sat down at her desk, and as she did, she looked at a photo of her and Santana. Santana had taken it on the boat, the day she had convinced Quinn to ditch work and spend the whole day with her surfing and fishing. Quinn stared at the photo for a few moments and smiled. Then her computer dinged, signifying the arrival of a new email in her inbox. She refocused, signed, and went back to work.


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for all of the feedback. Just a couple quick thoughts from me before we start the next chapter (btw I have no idea if you enjoy reading my thoughts before the chapters start, so if you don't, please feel free to skip over):

Just because a new potential antagonist is introduced doesn't necessarily mean there will be infidelity. He or she could be introduced to either cause conflict in some other manner, or to move the story forward in some other way, shape or form.

Also, not all chapters are going to be as exciting, tense, or chock-full of fluff as other chapters. Sometimes chapters are there to set up happenings in later chapters, or lend insight to a character's mindset, or maybe for another reason. But, every chapter has a purpose.

Anyway, I thank you again, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 16

"Well, this is it", Quinn said. "Wrigley Field. Home of The Cubs, the most underachieving team in Major League Baseball. But, we still love them", Quinn said and smiled, as she lead them to their seats.

"Wow, this is awesome! Look how many people there are", Santana said, looking around in awe at the 40,000+ people who were sitting in the famous baseball stadium. Quinn had been tied up at work for the last week but had taken the weekend off to spend time with Santana. They had gone to the Art Institute yesterday, and today Quinn was taking Santana to her first Major League Baseball game. The first pitch was scheduled to be thrown at 1:05pm. It was a beautiful spring day in Chicago. Quinn had bought Santana a Cubs T-shirt and hat to match her own from a vendor on their way into the stadium, and they sat down in their seats with their hot dogs and Old Style.

"Okay", Quinn said, "so this is a Chicago-style hot dog."

"What's all this on top?" Santana asked, pointing to the five dollar mess in her hand. "There's like a whole refrigerator of stuff on here."

"Hot dog, mustard, onions, pickle, tomato, relish, hot peppers, and celery salt", Quinn said, pointing to all of the ingredients.

"And I have to eat it all together?" Santana asked. "I can't just pick off the toppings and eat them separately?"

No", Quinn said firmly. "You have to eat it all together."

Santana stared at her with a look that said, Please don't make me unhinge my jaw again, like I had to do to eat that deep dish pizza.

Quinn smiled and said, "Hey – I tried Spam Musubi when I was in your hometown, against all inclinations not to, and I actually ended up liking it. So now it's your turn. Here, watch me", Quinn said. She opened up and took a large bite.

"Jesus", Santana said. What is it with people and food in this town? Deep dish pizza three inches thick and hot dogs with like 17 condiments on them. Do you have to be an alligator to eat here? Santana mused. She followed Quinn's lead and took a huge bite, then grabbed her beer, ready to chase if necessary. She paused for a moment with the bite in her mouth and then started chewing. She kept chewing for thirty seconds until she had swallowed most of it and then washed the rest down with some beer.

"Hey, that was pretty good", Santana said, smiling at Quinn.

"You like?" Quinn asked. She had adopted this particular phrase of Santana's pidgin into her own vocabulary.

"Yeah, it's good. I mean, I thought it was going to be like, overwhelming, but it all kind of went together."

"I'm glad you like", Quinn said and gave Santana a quick kiss. She was glad that Santana seemed to like some Chicago style things. She'll probably never like the weather, Quinn mused, but then again, even people who are from here don't like the weather.

"Hey, did I tell you I got a job?" Santana said, as they ate their hot dogs and waited for the game to start.

"No!" Quinn said, surprised. "When did that happen?"

"I got a call right before we left to come here. I'll be bartending at that club, Mothers."

"Oh that's great!" Quinn was happy for Santana. At least she's got something going on now, even if it's not ultimately what she wants to do. "When do you start?"

"Tuesday". Two days.

'Well good, hon. I'm happy for you. I'll have to come visit you soon, once you get situated. Lord knows I could use a drink after some of those late nights at the office. I swear, this pitch is gonna kill me."

"That would be awesome if you would come visit me", Santana said and smiled at Quinn. "I'd love that."

Quinn smiled back, and then both she and Santana heard the crowd roar. "Speaking of pitch, here we go", said Quinn, as the Cubs took the field.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Six innings, two more hot dogs, an order of nachos and four more beers later, Quinn and Santana sat in their seats, full and kind of buzzed. The warm spring afternoon sun beamed down on their faces. The Cubs were losing 0-1, but neither of them cared. Quinn had told Santana that going to Cubs games isn't about winning or losing anyway, since the Cubs usually lose. It's about eating hot dogs, drinking beers and just hanging out and taking in the whole experience. Santana snuggled into Quinn and nuzzled her neck. "I'm having a wonderful day, baby. Thank you", she said.

"I'm so glad, hon", Quinn replied. She was happy that Santana was happy, and she hoped that this was the start of Santana growing to love her hometown. "I'm happy you're having a wonderful day, and I want to show you the best that Chicago has to offer, just like you showed me around Hawaii." She took her hand and pushed a stray piece of hair out of Santana's face, and then leaned in to kiss her. They stayed like that for a few seconds, and then Santana deepened the kiss, and the two lovers continued to kiss for another minute. Santana was lost in the kiss when she heard the crowd cheer. She broke off and looked at Quinn.

'What's going on?" Santana asked. It had been quiet for most of the game.

'I don't know", Quinn said, looking around for a fly ball or a home run. "Oh, shit", she said, and her face went red.

"What, baby?" Santana asked, a mixture of worry and confusion on her face.

"I think I figured out what all the cheering was for", she said, and pointed towards center field.

Santana followed Quinn's finger and saw herself and Quinn in all their glory on the large jumbotron. "Oh nooooo", Santana said, as it dawned on her what Quinn was talking about. She looked at Quinn. "How long were we up there for?"

"Long enough", said a woman sitting behind them. Quinn and Santana turned around to face her, and she smiled.

Yeah", said her friend sitting next to her. "That was the most excitement we've had all game."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

That evening, Quinn and Santana were back at the apartment, snuggled up on the couch, drinking wine and watching Crocodile Dundee. Quinn thought the movie was kind of silly, but Santana had wanted to watch it, and since Quinn had been working more than expected, she gave Santana the choice of movie.

"I like this movie", Santana said and smiled, as they reached the credits.

"It's silly", Quinn said.

"Well, yeah, but, it's kind of like me."

"What - you're silly?" Quinn asked, jokingly.

"No, lolo. It's like me because Paul Hogan comes to a new city far away from everything he's ever known, and he tries to adapt. That's like what I'm doing here", Santana said. She popped the DVD out of the DVD player and the TV came on. It was the 10 o'clock news.

"And the Cubs lost again today, but not everyone seemed to care", the news anchor reported. "Just look at these two fans on the jumbotron", he said, and cut to a shot of Quinn and Santana making out in their seats.

"Oh…my…God…" Santana said.

Quinn stared at the TV, mouth open. Not only had they made the jumbotron, but they had also made the 10 o'clock evening news.

"How many people just saw that?" Santana asked, referring to the news cast.

"Uh, probably about 3 million."

Quinn and Santana stared at the TV for a few more minutes and then turned to stare at each other. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and then they started laughing. They fell into each other and laughed for two solid minutes straight.

"Oh my God", Santana said, her sides splitting.

"Oh well, what are you gonna do?" Quinn said back, her face hurting from laughing so hard.

When they came down from their laugh attack, Quinn said, "Anyway, hon, what were you saying about your silly movie?"

"Oh, nothing", Santana said. "I guess the guy in that movie is kind of like me, coming to a new place and trying to adjust." Santana looked at Quinn and smiled slightly. "And, I like the movie because it has a happy ending", she said.

"You're sappy", Quinn said jokingly.

"Whatever. I don't know. I guess I just like happy endings. That's all."

"Fairy tale stuff", Quinn said. "I get it. I grew up on Disney and stuff. But, like, that stuff usually doesn't happen in real life."

Santana said and looked into Quinn's eyes. "Anything can happen, baby. I mean, look - I'm here".

Quinn looked back into Santana's eyes. There was something just so…beautifully vulnerable about her right now, she thought. In Hawaii, she was in her element. Now, seeing her here, she was unsure, almost timid, and in that moment Quinn had one thought: I want to do whatever I can to make her happy. I want to give my girl a happy ending. As she sat there thinking about that, a crude thought crossed her mind. Normally Quinn wasn't one to say something crude, but the combination of the beers, the wine, and the jumbotron incident made her lips moved on their own accord. She smiled flirtatiously at Santana and said, "Well, I've got a happy ending for you", and then brushed her lips over Santana's.

"Ha!" Santana said. "Really, baby? That was like a combination of crude and cheesy." She looked at Quinn and raised her eyebrows.

Quinn just looked back at her with her flirtatious smile. "Yeah, well, I mean, pretty much the whole city now knows that we do it anyway, so let's do it, beautiful..."

Santana laughed, and Quinn grabbed her hands and pulled her into the bedroom.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you for all of the feedback. I have gone through all of it. Again, I have the story pretty much written, but I can tell you that most of the feedback, if not all of it, will be addressed in this story. Here is another chapter. I will try to post an additional chapter soon after this one, since I have a feeling that this one may rub some of you the wrong way, and you may need a happier note to tie you over.

Surf report says that swell may go up and down for the next few chapters. Anyway, I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 17

Santana was sitting in the apartment watching surfing videos online. It was just past 6pm when her phone rang. It was Quinn.

"Hi baby", Santana answered.

"Hey hon, how was work last night?" Quinn asked. Last night had been Santana's first night of working at Mother's. Quinn had been sleeping when Santana had gotten home around 1am, and she had left before Santana had woken up.

"Good. It was pretty slow, so it was a good night to start. How's your day going?"

"Well, okay, but it looks like I'm going to be working late again."

Santana's face dropped, and she pouted into the phone. "Awww, baby…I'm bummed." They were supposed to have dinner and movie night tonight. Santana was working the next few nights, and with Quinn working days and Santana working nights, they were already short on time together.

"I know, and I'm sorry. Listen, how's this: I will make it up to you this weekend. There is something I want to do with you."

"Oh yeah?" Santana perked up, and to tease Quinn she put just enough sexual innuendo into the tone of her voice.

"Well, that too", Quinn laughed, "but this something I was referring to is specific to Chicago."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm excited!"

"Good. And I promise – I won't do any work this weekend."

"Okay", Santana said. "I'm holding you to that." She thought for a moment and then said, "Hey – do you want me to bring you something to your office for dinner tonight?"

"You know, that would be great." Quinn said. She actually could have had something delivered from Grub Hub, but the thought of seeing Santana's face made her smile. "There's a Thai place right near the office. It's like two doors down from the place that you and I had lunch when you first moved here." She gave Santana an order and the addresses to both the restaurant and her office and told her to check in at the security desk in the lobby of the building when she arrived.

"Okay, see you soon. Love you", Santana said.

"Okay, thanks, hon. Love you too."

Santana arrived at the office 45 minutes later. She logged in with security and then took the elevator to the 40th floor. Quinn met her at the Digitalworks reception desk.

"Hi hon, welcome to the Digitalworks office." Quinn gave Santana a kiss and took the food from her. "Thanks for bringing dinner".

"Wow", Santana said. "This place is like something you see in the movies." The Digitalworks office took up the entire 40th floor of a downtown high-rise office building, with sweeping views of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan from the window offices and conference rooms. It was modern and hip looking, decorated in the perfect style to strike the right balance of business savvy and creative flair. It was the perfect office setting for a creative digital marketing agency. Santana looked around in awe.

"Thanks, hon. I'm glad you like." Quinn said, smiling that Santana was so impressed. "I'll get you a keycard soon, so you don't have to check in with security if you visit in the future." The company policy was that, for the most part, only employees were allowed keycards to the building and office, but they had recently instituted a new policy that allowed significant others of higher level employees, VPs and up, to also have keycards as well. "Come on back." Quinn smiled and led Santana to her window office. Kitty was sitting at the front of Santana's desk, looking at Quinn's draft of the capabilities presentation.

"Kitty, this is my girlfriend, Santana. Santana, this is Kitty."

"Hi Kitty, it's nice to meet you", Santana said cheerfully in her sing-song voice.

Kitty rose to shake Santana's hand. "Nice to meet you too", she said, much more cool. "Quinn won't stop talking about you", Kitty said, even though Quinn hadn't said anything about Santana to Kitty since the day they had talked when Quinn first got back to the office. Quinn shot Kitty a look, as Kitty gave Santana the once-over and then turned to Quinn. "I was right. That _is_ quite a souvenir you brought home."

Santana stared at her. Souvenir? I'm not a souvenir, she thought. Was this woman insulting me? Or maybe that's just her humor, or maybe that's just Chicago humor. She ignored the remark. Quinn blushed, a little embarrassed, and said, "Kitty, stop."

Kitty said, "I'm just playing." She looked at the bag in Quinn's hand. "Oh, you got her fetching dinner for you?"

"I brought you something, too", Santana said to Kitty, trying to ingratiate herself to one of Quinn's friends and closest co-worker.

"Thanks", Kitty said dismissively and then looked at Quinn. "Dinner delivered with a smile and a cute little accent. She's good, Quinn." Then she looked at Santana. "We could use a reliable intern after hours", she jabbed condescendingly.

It seems like she doesn't like me, Santana thought. Did I do something wrong? I've only known her for like one minute. Santana let that slide as well, but started getting a bad feeling inside.

"Thank you again, hon" Quinn said to Santana and gave her a peck on the lips." I - well, _we_" she looked at Kitty, "really appreciate it."

"Yep, and we didn't even have to pay the delivery charge", Kitty said. Quinn gave her a sideways look, telling her to knock it off.

"Well, um, you guys look busy, so I guess I'll leave, so you can get back to work", Santana said. She looked at Kitty. "I hope I didn't disturb you too much", she said, trying again to ingratiate herself to this woman who already seemed to not like her.

"Okay hon. I'll be home as soon as I can", Quinn said. She kissed Santana again.

"We're gonna be a while" Kitty said to Santana. "The adults have work to do. You can wait here if you want. We've got extra computers if you want to surf the internet." Kitty turned to Quinn and asked, "She knows how to use the internet, right?"

Quinn shot Kitty a look. "Yes, Kitty. Santana knows how to use the internet." Santana just stared at Kitty, as if to say, Really? You think I'm so dumb or from so far away that I don't know how to use the internet?

"Well, I wasn't sure. I mean, I'm sure she knows how to surf, but 'surfing' here in the real world is a bit different than surfing on some island", Kitty quipped. She smiled, and Santana couldn't tell if she was just joking or really taking a jab at her. "Anyway, like I said, you can stay here if you want and use an extra computer. I'm sure you can probably find Blue Crush or Baywatch online somewhere."

Quinn shot kitty another look. "Kitty - enough", she said.

"Jeez, I'm just playing. Relax", Kitty said, obnoxiously.

"Um, thanks, but that's okay", Santana said. "I'll just go home and wait for Quinn. Uh, nice meeting you, Kitty."

"Nice meeting you too." Kitty smiled her sweetest fake smile. "See you around."

Santana turned and left the office.

"I'll walk you out, hon", Quinn said.

"She doesn't seem to like me very much", Santana said as they headed towards the elevators.

"Awwww, hon, I wouldn't worry. Kitty's fine. She's just…really trying to focus on work tonight", Quinn said, in an attempt to gloss over Kitty's condescension towards, Santana, even though she didn't exactly believe that was the whole truth. "She's right that we have a lot of work to do, and the sooner we get done, the sooner we can both get out of here, and the sooner I can be home with you", Quinn said. She could tell Santana was upset, and she smiled in an attempt to alleviate that.

Santana smiled back. She had never been under the kind of work pressure that apparently Quinn and Kitty were under. Maybe that kind of pressure just makes people mean. She tried to be understanding. "Okay, see you at home." They kissed, and Santana left the building. Quinn walked back to her office. Kitty was unpacking the food that Santana had brought them.

"She's cute, Quinn." Kitty said in a tone of voice that suggested she was talking about a child, or maybe a pet.

Quinn looked right at Kitty and said, "Kitty, knock it off. That's my girlfriend." Kitty looked up, and Quinn continued. "I want you to be nice to her, and talk nicely about her around me." Kitty gave Quinn a look like Quinn was blowing things out of proportion, so Quinn continued on. "Look, she may not be from a mainland big city, or have graduated magna cum laude from Stanford, or work in a downtown office, but she's not an idiot, so don't talk to her like she is. Plus, I like her a lot, so, you know…no more snarky comments", Quinn said firmly.

Kitty laughed. "I'm just playing, Quinn. Jesus, relax. You know how I roll." Kitty shrugged her shoulders at Quinn and said, "She seems…nice."

Quinn looked at Kitty for a moment. There was something offputting in the way that Kitty talked about and had acted towards Santana. Kitty was naturally sarcastic and condescending, and Quinn knew that. She had seen that from Kitty before, when she interacted with their friends, and in how Kitty acted around other co-workers and towards the people who worked under her. But this was different. There was some kind of an edge underneath Kitty's tone when she talked about or to Santana. Quinn got the feeling that it wasn't just Santana herself or who she was that was prompting this edge, but maybe something else, something deeper or more complicated. Quinn sighed and picked up her chopsticks. "Let's just eat and then get back to work".

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was looking at surf cams when Quinn got home. It was just after 10pm. She was sitting on the couch, looking at the home laptop.

"Hey hon, watcha looking at?" Quinn came over and kissed Santana on the head. Santana didn't look up.

"San, is everything okay?" Quinn asked.

"I miss home", Santana said, still staring at the laptop screen.

"Awwwww, I understand." Quinn set down her bag and sat next to Santana. "Well, the weather will warm up here soon, so it will be more like Hawaii."

"I miss more than just the weather, Q. I miss the people, the laid back atmosphere", Santana said. She turned to look at Quinn. "That girl Kitty doesn't like me."

Quinn sighed and then took Santana's hand. "Look, hon, she was just playing. She has a bit of a sarcastic streak, but she's a good person. She's just under a lot of stress right now, but she's normally really nice."

"Well, you're under a lot of pressure right now too, and you're still nice." Quinn smiled and kissed Santana. "Anyway, I don't mean to overreact", Santana continued. "I just thought she was…kind of mean to me. What's her problem with me, anyway?" And, she thought, what is it that could cause someone to be so damn mean?

"San, I don't know, and I'm sorry she rubbed you the wrong way", Quinn said. "But I do have to work with her often, and she is my friend outside of work, so hopefully you guys will get to a point where you like each other."

Santana was bummed to hear that and pouted. "Maybe, if she's not a bitch to me."

"Hon, I'm sorry again", Quinn said. She thought about telling Santana that she had told Kitty to be nicer, but she thought that maybe that would make Santana uncomfortable, or make Santana feel like she needed Quinn to stick up for her, so she let it go.

"It's okay", Santana said. I know you can't pick your co-workers, and I know you said she's normally nicer than she was tonight. Again, I just have this feeling that she doesn't like me."

"Well, don't judge her on tonight's meeting alone", Quinn said. "Let's just see how things go, maybe like in a social, non-work, setting."

Santana sighed and looked down. "Okay, I'll be positive and see how it goes."

"Hey", Quinn said as she lifted Santana's chin with her thumb and forefinger. She touched her forehead to Santana's and smiled. "I love you."

Santana smiled. "I love you too."

They remained there on the couch like that for a while, alternating between lightly kissing and resting their foreheads together.


	18. Chapter 18

I figured I would try to post another chapter today, given that you-know-who made an appearance last chapter, and some of you may have wanted to punch her (and me). So, here is another chapter, and there's less rough swell in this one. This may be the last update for a day or two, but hopefully this will tie you over. Thanks as always for reading.

Chapter 18

"Hon, are you ready? We're going to be late", Quinn called into the bedroom from the living room of their apartment. They were meeting some of Quinn's friends for dinner. Quinn had picked a restaurant that served Hawaiian-fusion cuisine. It was the only one of its kind in Chicago. Quinn had been there before, and she thought that Santana might enjoy a taste of home.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming", Santana called from the bedroom. Quinn rolled her eyes. Santana was running on island time. She had spent the last hour and a half leisurely trying on different outfits.

Santana walked out of the bedroom. She was wearing a long sleeve lavender dress and black suede heels. She had styled her hair with a slight wave, and she was wearing a silver necklace and matching earrings. "How's this?" She asked Quinn. "Is this okay?"

Quinn turned to look, and her breath caught. "It's…beautiful", she said, and then smiled. "You're beautiful". She walked up to Santana and gave her a kiss on the lips.

Santana smiled back, unsure. "Are you sure?" Santana asked. "I-I-I can wear something else."

"No, hon, it looks lovely", Quinn said. " And, we have to get going". She sighed but smiled at the same time, partly exasperated that Santana was running on island time, but also thinking: it's adorable that she's nervous about meeting my friends.

"Okay", Santana said. "Let me finish up and I will be ready soon." She turned around to go back into the bedroom, took two steps, and then paused and turned back around to face Quinn.

"Hon, what is it?" Quinn asked. "Are you okay?"

"Ummm…Kitty's not going to be there tonight, is she?" Santana asked. It had been a few days since she had met Kitty in Quinn's office, and as positive as Santana wanted to be about their next meeting, she couldn't help but think that Kitty would be rude to her again if she was there tonight.

"No, Kitty won't be there tonight." Quinn confirmed. "The funny thing is, it was actually her idea to get all of us together for dinner, but she ended up getting a date for tonight, so she said she'd rather do that." Then Quinn stepped closer to Santana and lightly grabbed her arms. "And, even if Kitty was going to be there tonight, I would keep her at bay", she said reassuringly and smiled.

"And the rest of your friends…are they…nicer than her?" Santana was almost timid.

"Quinn laughed softly and said reassuringly, "Yes, hon. They are all very nice."

"Okay." Santana smiled back. "I'll be ready soon."

"As in 'soon real time", or 'soon island time'?" Quinn asked jokingly. Santana stuck her tongue out at Quinn and then went back into the bedroom to finish getting ready.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana arrived at the restaurant 25 minutes late. Everyone else was already seated. Quinn apologized and introduced Santana, who was really the guest of honor at this dinner, to everyone. Quinn's friends all knew about Santana , but this was their first time meeting her, so Santana was understandably nervous. There was Brittany, a tall blonde, Rachel, short and dark hair, and Bree, who looked either Mexican or African American or maybe a combination of both. Santana couldn't tell for sure, but Bree's looks reminded her a lot of the kids she grew up with in San Antonio.

"Nice to meet you all", Santana said as she and Quinn took their seats. To Quinn she asked, "How do you know everyone?"

"Rachel and I went to high school together. We were in Glee Club. Brittany and I know each other from the gym, and Bree and I work together."

"Well, to be honest, I work _for_ Quinn, not _with _her", Bree said, throwing her boss a prop.

Quinn smiled a thank you smile at Bree, and then said to Santana, "Oh, that reminds me, I have your office key card." She dug into her purse and handed it to Santana.

"Oh, cool. Thanks. Now I can stalk you", Santana said. The table laughed.

"You should feel honored to get a key card", Bree said and smiled. "Only the higher-ups are allowed to get key cards for their significant others". She smiled.

"Wow. Well, if that's the case, I'll try not to abuse the privilege", Santana said and smiled back.

"So, how do you like Chicago, Santana?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, it's great. I mean the weather's colder than I am used to, but other than that it's been great."

"What have you been doing?" Brittany asked.

"Um, well Quinn's been really busy, but when she has free time we've been going around, sightseeing, eating, that kind of stuff. I just got a job and started working a few days ago. Oh, and Quinn took last weekend off from work, so we went to a Cubs game."

"Oh yeah, I think I saw you guys on the news", Rachel said and smiled. Quinn and Santana hung their heads in mock shame, and Rachel laughed good-naturedly.

"Wait…what happened?" Bree asked.

"You didn't hear about this?" Brittany looked at Bree. "It was on the news."

"No. What happened?" Bree asked again.

"Quinn and Santana were on the jumbotron at the Cubs game last weeken…" Rachel trailed off as she realized she was just about to tell a potentially embarrassing story about Quinn and Santana to one of Quinn's co-workers.

"Go ahead, Rach", Quinn said, with a sigh and a smile. You can tell her."

Rachel relayed the story, and Bree and the rest of the table laughed. "Bet you never thought you'd be famous within a month of moving here", Rachel said to Santana with a wink.

After the laughter over the jumbotron story had died down, Santana asked, "So, are all of you single?"

"No, but this is kind of like our girls night out", Bree told Santana. "I'm seeing a guy. He's a mortgage broker."

"I just started seeing someone", Brittany said. "She works as a realtor, and she likes to dance, like me."

"I'm dating a guy who plays in a band. He's awesome, and he's hot." Rachel said.

"Okay, Rach. Let's not start monopolizing the dinner conversation with talk about Jesse", Quinn said with a smile. Rachel loved to talk, and she loved to talk about her boyfriend Jesse.

"So, what job did you just get?" Rachel asked Santana.

"I'm bartending at Mother's, on Rush and Division. It's near out place", Santana said.

"Oh, cool. I used to go there all the time. Are you planning on staying there for a while, or is that like just something to tie you over while you look for something else?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know", Santana said. "I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do now that I'm here."

"Well, it's a big life change. You should take your time", Rachel affirmed.

"Yeah, you should do something you like, too. Don't rush into anything", Brittany said.

"Plus, your sugar mamma can support you while you figure it out", Bree jabbed good-naturedly at Quinn, and Santana laughed.

"She's been great with me," Santana said.

"Well, I think it's great that _you_ moved _here_ for _her_", Rachel said. "I mean, that's a huge life change for you."

"Well, it was, and it is great, but I couldn't just pack up and move to Hawaii, Rach", Quinn defended herself. "I have a real job, you know, unlike you artsy people." Rachel worked as an actress in the Chicago improv scene.

Rachel ignored the jab and kept on going. "Can't you work anywhere, Quinn, with all of that high powered digital technology at your disposal?" Rachel said.

"That's what I asked her too", Santana said. She liked Rachel. They were on the same page, at least with regards to her and Quinn.

"What is this? Bag on Quinn night?" Quinn said in mock dismay, and the table laughed.

"Well, then it's a good thing that Santana moved for you", Brittany said.

"Actually", Santana said, "I moved here for me. I needed to take a chance on something". She didn't want to get into the whole background on her parents and why she hadn't been back to the mainland in15 years, so she said, "Quinn was just, well, let's just say that she provided more than enough incentive for me to take that chance." She leaned over and gave Quinn a quick kiss and then said, "I just wished she wasn't working so much, so I could see her more."

Quinn smiled at Santana and then addressed the table. "Okay, guys, I'm hungry", she said. "Pick up your menus, and let's order".

"Oh, I haven't even looked at the menu yet", Rachel said.

"I don't know what I want", Brittany said.

"Me either", Bree agreed.

"Where are the vegetarian dishes?" Rachel asked.

"There's like, too many things on this menu", Brittany said.

"Jesus Christ, you guys", Quinn said. "God, why is it so hard to get a bunch of people to order some dinner?" she said in mock exasperation, then said to herself, "I swear, the more people you have, the harder it is to do anything." Santana watched as Quinn started rattling off suggestions to each of the girls. It was kind of neat for Santana to see Quinn take charge and organize everyone. And, she's passionate about food. I love that, Santana thought.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After dinner the women headed to a nearby club. They had a drink at the bar and then hit the dance floor. After 20 minutes, Quinn was ready for another drink.

"Hey hon, I'm headed to the bar. You want anything?"

"No, I'm good, thanks" Santana said.

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute", Quinn said. She smiled and gave Santana a kiss.

"I'll come with you", Rachel said. She followed Quinn to the bar.

"So…how are things going with you two?" Rachel asked after they had ordered. She wanted to get the real scoop, not just the dinner table version.

"Things are good", Quinn said, as she watched Santana dance.

"Does she like it here?"

"I think so. I mean, I really haven't seen her as much as I would like, and I wish I could spend more time with her, but I think she's adjusting, and I think she's happy."

"Why haven't you been able to spend more time with her?" Rachel asked.

"Because I've been busy with work".

"I got that. Doing what, exactly?"

Quinn sighed. "I'm on this big project. I won't bore you with the details, but it's just a beast. I've been working a lot of nights and some weekends."

"Are you working with Kitty?" Rachel frowned as she asked.

"Yeah, I am." Quinn knew that Rachel didn't like Kitty. They had met a few times, and Kitty had rubbed her the wrong way. "I know – you don't like her."

"You're right, I don't like her", Rachel confirmed. "I think she's manipulative and, honestly, she can be mean."

Quinn nodded in reluctant agreement. "She was kind of snarky towards Santana the other night."

"That sucks. Well, at least Santana seems to get along with all of us", Rachel said, meaning her, Bree and Brittany.

Quinn thought for a second and then said, "I really hope she ends up liking it here."

"Well, I think that depends partly on you", Rachel said. "I mean, this is a big change for her. She'll need your help to adjust. You should stop working such long hours so you can be there for her more." Rachel thought for a second and then said, "I got the feeling when we were talking at dinner that she misses having you around as much as she wants."

"Look, I want to be around more for her, but I do have to work", Quinn said. "Someone's gotta pay the bills."

"I know, I get that. But Quinn, she moved across the world for you. You owe it to her to be around as much as you can. I'm sure she didn't move here to sit in an apartment by herself, no matter how nice that apartment is."

"I know. I get it", Quinn said. "Well, hopefully work will calm down after I get done with this project."

Rachel was quiet for a second and then said, "Have you thought about what you guys are going to do if she ends up not being happy here?"

"No, not really", Quinn answered. "I don't know. Why?"

"Would you move for her, like if she wanted to move back to Hawaii?"

"I don't know. Like, Hawaii was awesome, but my whole life is here."

Their drinks came and Rachel paid for them. She took a sip and then asked, "Why did you bring her here, Quinn?"

"What?"

"Why did you bring her here? Or, I guess a better way to ask that is, why did you ask her to move here with you?"

Quinn looked at the dance floor. Santana was laughing about something with Bree and Brittany. "Because I fell for her. Because I wanted us to be together. Because she makes me happy."

"What about her makes you happy?"

Quinn thought for a second and then said, "I love that she's the sweetest person. I love that she cares about me. I love that she thinks of me and puts me first often. I love that she loves life, and that she is adventurous, and she was willing to come on an adventure with me, to take a chance on moving to a new city, somewhere she's never been, for me."

"That's a lot of good reasons", Rachel said. "Look Quinn, I'm asking because, well, you fell for her, and obviously she fell for you, since she move all the way out here for you. I just…I think you need to think about all of those reasons, and you should make your relationship with her the priority in your life."

"I do. I mean, when I'm not working, I'm with her", Quinn said. "And, as soon as work calms down, I'll have more time".

"But it might never calm down. There's always going to be another project. Someone's always going to want something from you. You're only going up. It's going to get busier, not slower. I think you need to figure out where you are willing to draw the line in your work/life balance."

"Look, Rach, it's Friday night, and I don't want to get into a deep discussion about this right now, alright?" Quinn said firmly. "It was really cool of her to move here for me-"

"But you wouldn't move for her?" Rachel interrupted her.

"Stop, Rach", Quinn fired back. "What - have you guys like secretly talked, or something? Are you like taking her side now?"

"Side?!" Rachel said. "No, Quinn, I'm not taking her side on anything, and no, we haven't talked in secret. I'm taking your side. I want things to work out for you, and right now, I can tell you that she's not a hundred percent happy."

Quinn looked at Rachel and then took a breath to cool off. "Look, I'm not opposed to moving, but I just have so much here, and I'd have to do a lot of planning. I mean, I would be leaving everything. My job, my mom, you guys. Plus. I was born and raised here, and I love it here."

"But if you moved for her, she would be there for you, wherever you ended up moving to, Hawaii or whatever. Just like you should be there for her, now that she's here."

Quinn looked right at Rachel. Rachel was overbearing at times, but Quinn had always valued her thoughts, and Rachel was always able to get Quinn to think about the tough issues in her life, even if she didn't want to. Plus, when things got tough in Quinn's life, Rachel was the person who Quinn would call on for help and advice. Quinn sighed and then said, "Look, Rach, I just don't know, and honestly - I'm struggling right now, mentally. I feel like something is changing in me, or something weird is happening. I mean, two months ago, all I could think about was getting to the top of the Digitalworks food chain. I've worked my entire career with that one goal in mind. Then, I go to Hawaii, I meet Santana, and now I start thinking like, maybe that's not what I want. And right now, I'm on the biggest project of my career, I've got Kitty and my boss pushing me, and I find myself thinking about other things when I should be focusing on work."

Rachel looked at Quinn. She could see a struggle in Quinn's eyes, something she had never seen before. Quinn had always been so focused on rising up the corporate ladder. "Quinn, like I said before, you can always find another job. You can find more friends. But, in the 15 years I've known you, you never found that special someone. I would think that making your relationship with Santana work should be the most important thing for you. I mean, you could have ended up in a relationship with someone like you, who works a high powered job in a downtown office, who understands the workload you have. But that's not how things ended up. You fell for Santana, and she fell for you, and she moved all the way here so you two could be together." Rachel looks at Quinn. "I know you're busy, but you need to spend more time with her. It bothers her that you're not around as much as she'd like you to be. She brought it up multiple times at dinner, and I could see it in her eyes, and I could hear it in her voice when she spoke." Quinn gave Rachel the 'I've heard enough for right now' look, so Rachel wrapped it up. "Look - I understand that real life is real life, and there are bills and stuff, but it seems like you've got some thinking to do. I'll leave it at this: you need to figure out what is most important to you. And I would say that you need to make her your first priority. Otherwise, you shouldn't have brought her here, and you may lose her if you don't start taking being there for her more." Rachel looked Quinn straight in the eye. "And Quinn - I like her. She seems really sweet. And you seem to like her a whole lot too. So, you know, don't mess it up", she said, and she smiled at Quinn.

Quinn thought as she looked at the dance floor. Santana waved at her and smiled, and Quinn smiled back and motioned that she would join her soon. This is unchartered territory for me, Quinn thought. Yes, Santana may have moved away physically to a new land for me, but emotionally this is new territory for me. I've worked my whole adult life to get to the top, and now that I am getting there, I'm not sure if that's still the most important thing in my life. This whole thing is confusing, Quinn thought. I just don't know what to do.

"Hey", Rachel said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking", Quinn said.

"Sorry if I bummed you out. I didn't mean to bring the mood down." Rachel paused for a moment and then said, "I just…I just want you to be happy. And she makes you happy. I can tell. Anyway, you know how I get sometimes…overbearing mother hen/drama queen!" Rachel smiled and pointed with both hands towards herself.

Quinn laughed and snapped out of her deep thinking. "No, I'm fine. Thanks for the chat. Let's go dance", she said and lead Rachel back to the dance floor.


	19. Chapter 19

Here's another chapter. I hope to have an additional chapter posted later today. Thanks as always for the feedback and for reading, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 19

Santana woke up to an empty bed. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and then got up, put on a T-shirt, and walked to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Quinn was talking on the phone in her crisp business voice. She looked over at Santana and winked at her. Santana, her eyes still half closed and her hair still mussed up from sleeping and last night's after hours activities, blew Quinn a sleepy I-just-got-out-of-bed kiss.

"…in as much as we can ascertain what they are looking for, I think we need to perform a deeper dive on our capabilities presentation, as well as revisit the brief to make sure we are aligned on the strategy for our sample creative campaign…"

Santana sipped her coffee at the dining room table and watched Quinn as she paced around the living room, phone in one hand, documents in the other. God, she's smart, Santana thought. I don't even know what she's talking about, and I can tell she's smart. Or maybe it's just that, when she's talking business, she sounds like a smart person from a movie. No, she's smart. She's smart, and she's take-charge, and she's passionate, and damn, I just want to grab her right now and drag her back into bed, Santana thought.

"Sorry, hon", Quinn said as she hung up. She walked over and kissed Santana good morning, then grabbed a cup of coffee for herself and sat down at the dining room table. "I had to give Bree some direction on our project. I know I said I wasn't going to work this weekend, but I needed to do a few small things, so I thought I'd do them this morning while you were still asleep."

"Okay", Santana said, "As long as you don't have to work now that I'm awake."

"No", Quinn laughed, "I don't. No working while you are awake." She leaned in to Santana and gave her a kiss. "Plus, remember I told you I wanted to take you somewhere today? Well, I still want to if you are up for it."

"Where?" Santana perked up. An adventure in her new city with her girlfriend.

"Let's just say, it's kind of like the equivalent of the island drive that you took me on", Quinn said, mysteriously.

"Yay! Sounds fun." Santana looked at Quinn then smiled. "Can we shower first?"

"Yeah, go ahead. We have time. I need to send out a few more emails anyway."

"No, baby." Santana looked at Quinn. "I said, can _we_ shower. Like, together?"

Quinn smiled, then stood up. Se got off her chair and straddled Santana. She looked down into Santana's eyes and then gave her a deep kiss.

"Yes hon, we can shower together", Quinn said, and then grimaced. "Just make sure that you also brush your teeth too, Ms. Coffee and Morning Breath", Quinn teased. Santana pouted at her in mock offense, and then tickled her sides. Quinn hopped off Santana, laughing, and Santana chased her as she fled towards the bathroom.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After their prolonged shower, they got dressed in casual wear and left the apartment. They jumped in Quinn's BMW, which rarely left the parking garage of the apartment building, and headed north along Lake Shore Drive.

"Nice car, baby", Santana said, as she alternated between looking around the interior and taking in the view of the lake to her right.

"Thanks, hon. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth keeping, since I really don't drive that much, but it's nice to have it for little adventures like this." They drove for another 40 minutes. Santana took in the view as the neighborhoods shifted through Uptown, Rogers Park, and Evanston, into Wilmette and then Kenilworth. "Welcome to the north shore, hon. Or, at least, the north shore of Chicago." Santana stared out the window at the large houses with artfully manicured lawns as Quinn drove up Sheridan Road. Quinn took a left onto Winnetka Avenue and said, "This is Winnetka, the suburb I grew up in". She drove for a few more blocks and then parked the car. They were in front of a large building that took up a whole block.

"This is my old high school. New Trier Township. Home of the Trevians. Whut whut!" Quinn raised the roof with her hands, and Santana laughed.

"Wow! Is this a college? This place is huge!" Santana exclaimed.

Quinn laughed. "No, it's a high school. But it is big. When I was here, the student body was like 4000 kids."

"Jeez", Santana said. Her school was about a tenth of that size, and it looked like a shack compared to this.

"Come on. I want to see if we can get inside. I want to walk you around a little piece of Quinn history." They walked up to the front door and found it locked. They continued around the perimeter of the building and saw cars in the side parking lot. "Looks like there might be a game of some kind going on here today", Quinn said. They continued walking around the perimeter and saw a baseball game taking place in the field on the north end of the school. They watched the game for a second, and then Quinn had an idea. She walked up to a side door and pulled on it. It opened.

"Nice!" Quinn exclaimed. "It's open. Come on, San", she said and motioned to Santana to follower her. "This entrance is near the locker rooms, so they keep it open during game days so the athletes can get in and out", Quinn explained, as they entered the building. It was deserted. They twisted and turned through a few hallways and then came to the main foyer inside the school.

"Well, this is it. Welcome to the inside of New Trier Township High School", Quinn said. Santana looked around. This school was huge. Huge and nice.

"Wow", Santana said. "I feel like I'm in The Breakfast Club".

"Actually, I think John Hughes may have filmed a movie or two in this school. Come on, this way". Quinn took Santana's hand and lead her down the hallway. They took a few more turns, and then Quinn came to a classroom and stopped. She tried the door. It was open. She lead Santana into the room. The door shut behind them. The lights were off in the room, but the hallway lights illuminated the room through the glass in the door, enough to see, and gave the room almost a stage lighting effect.

"This", Quinn said, motioning to the surroundings, "is the choir room, where we had Glee Club. Rachel and I spent a lot of afternoons in here."

"Glee Club…the singing and dancing thing, right?"

"That's right", Quinn confirmed. Santana looked around the room. There was a grand piano and other instruments against one of the side walls, and chairs on risers lined up again the back wall. Most of the room was open, and Santana assumed that was where the members danced. She walked over to the piano and ran her fingers along it. Then she looked at Quinn and gave her a shy smile.

"Baby, w-w-will you sing for me?" Santana asked.

Quinn looked back for a second and then smiled. "Of course." She pulled out the piano seat for Santana to sit on, and then she sat on the piano. Quinn took a deep breath. Why am I nervous right now? Quinn thought. I've performed in front of hundreds of people, yet here I am, in front of my girlfriend, and I feel like I can't even get sound out of my mouth. She took another deep breath, and then began.

"You say...you want…

Diamonds and a ring of gold…"

Quinn focused on keeping her voice even. Santana sat riveted as Quinn sang U2's "All I Want Is You", and she felt a wave of emotion run through her body. Watching Quinn sing to her was the most tender moment she had ever experienced. Her girlfriend was singing. Singing to her. Only her. Santana blinked and tears formed in her eyes. Quinn watched Santana as Santana started to cry, and she doubled her efforts to keep her voice steady. When she was done singing, both women had tears in their eyes. Quinn remained sitting on the piano. Santana rose off the piano bench and positioned herself between Quinn's legs. Her arms went around Quinn's waist, and Quinn's went around Santana's neck.

"Baby…" Santana trailed off, looking into Quinn's green eyes. "That…was…beautiful…"

Quinn stared back at Santana for a moment, and then said, "I love you, Santana."

"I love you, Quinn", Santana returned. She pushed her lips against Quinn's, and they melded for a moment. Quinn deepened the kiss, and then Santana gently pushed Quinn back down against the top of the piano with her right hand, as her left hand went towards the button on Quinn's jeans.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana exited the choir room an hour later. They half-ran out of the school, holding hands and giggling like school girls, and jumped into Quinn's car. Quinn hit the gas and off they went.

"Hey, are you hungry?", Quinn asked.

"I could eat", Santana replied.

"I have a great place. Another piece of Quinn history."

"Yay! New food place. I'm excited", Santana said and clapped her hands together. Five minutes later they pulled into a parking lot.

"This", Quinn motioned to the building in front of them, "is Sarkis. Best breakfast and lunch greasy spoon diner in the Chicagoland area. I used to come here all the time when I was in high school, and I still come up here once in a while. It's owned by an old Armenian guy. He's kind of like that Saturday Night Live skit "Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger." Santana laughed at Quinn's explanation, and they exited the car and walked into the small, crowded diner. Sarkis himself was behind the counter. He smiled at Quinn when he saw her and came out from behind the counter to great them.

"Quinn, my dear, how are you? Long time no see!" Sarkis boomed in his heavily Armenian-accented English."

"Hi Sarkis", she said and gave him a hug. "Sarkis, this is my girlfriend, Santana."

"Hello Santana, so nice to meet you. Please, come in, have a seat at the counter". Sarkis pointed to two open seats at the counter, and Santana lead the way. As she passed, Sarkis looked at Quinn and snuck her a thumbs up. Quinn smiled and laughed inside.

"So, what's good here?" Santana asked as they sat down.

"Everything is good here, my dear", Sarkis said proudly. Santana looked at Quinn for guidance, and Quinn said to Sarkis, "We'll take one Loretta sandwich and one Disaster sandwich, both with hash browns".

"Very good, Quinn. Coming right up", Sarkis said, and then went to work on the grill.

"What on earth did you just order?"

"Two of Sarkis original sandwiches. You won't find them anywhere else. The Loretta is ham, cheese, green pepper, tomato, onion, mayo and seasonings on a French roll. The Disaster is like Armenian sausage, with the same condiments and bread. We'll split them, so you can try both."

"Wow", Santana said. Again, what is it with Chicagoans and putting the entire contents of their refrigerator on all of their food? "Will I have to unhinge my jaw again to eat this?"

Quinn laughed. "No. Well, maybe a little, but not that much. Don't worry – you'll get used to doing that." She smiled.

Their meals came, and they shared the sandwiches. Quinn paid, and they bid Sarkis a farewell. They got into Quinn's car and left.

"What did you think?" Quinn asked. Santana had said she liked it when they were eating, but Sarkis had been manning the grill three feet away, so Quinn wanted the real answer.

"It was amazing", Santana said. "I especially like the ham sandwich, The Lo…lo…"

"Loretta", Quinn jumped in.

"Yeah, that one. But, if I ate like that every day, I'd be like 400 pounds."

"I know, it's tough here in Chicago. You gotta watch it, or the weight packs on quick."

Santana looked at her stomach, as if to make sure she wasn't packing on the pounds, and then asked, "So, where are we going next?"

"Somewhere I haven't been in a while", Quinn said.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn got back onto Sheridan Road, and about a mile later she slowed the car and pointed at a house on the lake side of the street. "That's the house I grew up in", she said. Santana stared at the house, and her jaw dropped. It was a five bedroom, four bath Colonial style mansion. "I haven't been by here in years."

"Oh my God. You lived there?" Santana asked Quinn.

"Yep, born and raised until my father passed away and my mom and I had to move."

"Jeez, that house is huge", Santana said as she looked at Quinn's old house and then looked around the view outside the car. "All of these houses are huge."

"San, you have big houses in Hawaii, too. I've seen them".

"Not where I grew up", Santana said, still looking out the window.

Quinn looked at Santana and tried to read her thoughts. She was hoping that Santana was enjoying the tour, much as Quinn had enjoyed her tour of Oahu's north shore, but, for some reason, she got the feeling that Santana somehow just became uncomfortable. Either uncomfortable or intimidated, or something to that nature. She had seemed fine the whole day until Quinn had shown her the house she grew up in. They sat in front of the house for a moment longer, and then Quinn put the car in drive and they continued on.

"So, what do you think of your tour of the north shore? Well, I should say, the north shore of Chicago." Quinn looked at Santana and smiled.

Santana looked at Quinn. She had grown up privileged, Santana thought. Way more privileged than me. There was nothing wrong with that, Santana said to herself, and she believed it. Quinn was the most wonderful person in the world. She didn't exhibit any of the negative stereotypes that one would associate with people who grew up rich. But, despite that, Santana couldn't help one thought from entering her mind. Am I good enough for her? I mean, this woman grew up wealthy, in a huge house, went to a nice school, went to college, and has a high-powered job in a large office building downtown. She's smart and driven to succeed, and she is surrounded by people at work who are just like her. I went to a school that looks like a shack, never went to college, I don't know what I'm doing with my life, and I pour drinks for drunk people for a quarter of the money that Quinn makes. I know that money and power isn't everything, but really…am I good enough for her? What does she see in me? Why does she love me? As Santana continued to stare at Quinn, her mind started to spin, and another thought came to her. I'm sure I'm going to meet her family sooner or later. What will they think of me?

"Hon? Are you okay?" Quinn asked Santana.

Santana blinked and came to. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine", Santana answered and smiled. She didn't want to get into her thoughts with Quinn, so she followed up with, "Um, the tour was…wonderful…." Quinn smiled at her, and Santana took Quinn's free hand as Quinn drove back towards the city. Quinn knew something was bothering Santana, but she decided not to pry right now. She would bring it up later. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the day.


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks as always for the feedback. Just a few thoughts from me:

As you can probably tell, things aren't 100% peachy in Quinntanaland right now. To that point, I have received some pretty heated responses from readers who I assume want Quinn and Santana to be together in a happy relationship. I want that too, and like I said before, Quinntana is endgame, but remember - all good stories have conflict. Well, at least all of my stories have conflict. If you don't like some ups-and-downs in your stories, then this story may not be for you. Also, **WARNING: **big swell is coming - as in, I will be turning up the tension and conflict in the next few chapters, so again, if you don't like conflict, you may want to stop reading now. Finally, everyone is welcome to have an opinion on what is happening in the story. I love hearing thoughts about the plot, the action, what the characters are doing or experiencing, etc. I understand that sometimes the reader doesn't always like what is happening to a character in the story, and that is totally cool (sometimes I don't even like what is happening to a character in this story, and I'm writing it). I want readers to feel the drama of the story. However, if you don't like the story _itself_, you don't have to read it. Again, I enjoy reading everyone's feedback, both in the reviews and in PMs, but blatant insults (as in, nonconstructive drivel like "stop writing") will be deleted (I put one up from a guest in the reviews time, but I probably won't put up another one).

Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 20

Santana was at home, making dinner for her and Quinn. It was Friday evening, and Santana was scheduled to work at 8pm. Quinn had been working a lot lately, and they hadn't seen much of each other since their trip to the north shore of Chicago almost two weeks ago, but Quinn had promised Santana that she would come home in time to have dinner together before Santana had to leave for work. Santana was preparing enchiladas, which was one of the few things she cooked well, when her phone rang.

"Hey baby", she said.

"Hi hon", Quinn said. "Listen – I'm really super sorry, but it looks like I'm going to have to stay late again."

Santana frowned into the phone. "Awww…Quinn, really? We're supposed to have dinner together. We haven't spent time together in like two weeks. You promised you would be home this evening, so we could eat dinner together before had to I go to work."

"I know, hon, and I'm really, really sorry."

"God, Quinn – I'm almost done cooking. I was really looking forward to cooking for you and having you home for dinner."

"Hon, look –" Quinn was about to get into how busy the pitch was keeping her at work, but then she realized that Santana wouldn't care. At the same time, Santana cut her off.

"You know what – it's fine. I understand that you're busy. I guess I just…I don't know. Maybe if I would have known, I wouldn't have started cooking", Santana said. That was true, but what she really meant to say was, "I wish you would be home more, and when you tell me you're going to be home, I want you to be home, because it hurts when I get my hopes up and then you don't come home." She didn't say that because she knew Quinn felt bad, and she knew Quinn was under a lot of stress, but she made a mental note to bring it up sometime later, maybe after this damn pitch thing Quinn is working on is over.

"Look, San – I'm so sorry. I really am."

Santana sighed. "It's okay", she said, disappointment obvious in her voice. "Again, I understand you're busy. I guess I'll see you…well, when I see you", she said, and hung up the phone.

"I lov-" Quinn was going to say "I love you", but she realized that Santana had hung up. She put down her phone and stared at the ground in the hallway outside her of office. She felt horrible. She had been working early morning to ten or eleven at night for the past two weeks, and with Santana working nights at Mother's and not getting home until 2 or 3am, they had barely seen each other. Quinn had promised Santana earlier this week that she would be home for dinner tonight. She could hear the disappointment in her girlfriend's voice just now, and she wondered just how much longer Santana was going to tell her "it's okay" and "I understand" before she blew up on her. Quinn shuddered at that thought and thought to herself, "I really have to be there more for her. Or, at the very least, for right now, when I say I'm going to be home for dinner, then I'm going to be home for dinner." She sighed, then straightened her shoulders and walked back into her office. Kitty was working away on the presentation deck.

"Had to call the ball and chain, huh?" Kitty said, not looking up.

"Kitty, please", Quinn said.

"How is your hula dancing girlfriend?"

"She's fine. Well, she's a little upset that I won't be home for dinner tonight."

"Awww, that's too bad", Kitty said, sarcastically. "Looks like she'll have to eat pineapple all by herself."

"Kitty, knock it off", Quinn said, a little more firmly.

"Hey, I get it. She's cute. My uncle has a trophy wife. Looks great on his arm. Apparently she's great in the sack. I mean, what's not to like?"

"Kitty! Stop!" Quinn raised her voice. She was already upset over upsetting Santana, and she didn't need Kitty's sarcasm right now. "She's not a trophy wife. That's my girlfriend, and I love her. I told you to talk nicely about her around me, so lighten up on the attitude."

"Attitude!?" Kitty stood up. "You think I've got an attitude? Well, what's with you're attitude?" Kitty walked up to Quinn and stood a foot from her face.

"What the hell are you talking about, Kitty?" Quinn lashed back.

"I'll tell you what I'm talking about. You're attitude has _sucked_ since you got back from Hawaii!" Kitty paused and then continued. "What's up with you lately, Quinn? You don't seem focused. You don't seem determined. You're totally distracted. You don't seem like you care about this project. You're blowing off time you need to be spending working with me to go play with your little island hottie."

"Kitty", Quinn said, "I've been working like 12-14 hours a day. So I took a bit of time off last weekend. Big fucking deal!"

"This isn't a 9-5 job, Quinn. People don't make it in this business just working the bare minimum." Kitty stared at Quinn for a moment and then continued. "You know, before you left for that conference, you were like 110 percent focused on climbing to the top. Just like me. We talked about getting there together, remember? You and me. Together. Ever since we started working together, two years ago, we've talked about going to the top together, and nothing was going to stop us. Now, we've been handed this goldmine of a project, the biggest project of either of our careers, and you're acting like you don't give a shit! I'm focused, and I'm committed, and you're not! Where's the Quinn I knew two months ago? 'Cause that's the one I want on this project!"

"Kitty, look-"

"No, Quinn! You look! You look me in the eye, and tell me honestly that you're just as focused and determined as you were before you left for that fucking conference in La-La-land. And, if you can look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you're committed as much as I am, 110 percent, to this project, I'll fucking throw myself out of this window 40 floors down onto Columbus Avenue! Go ahead! Tell me!" Kitty glared at Quinn with fire in her eyes.

Quinn stared back. Kitty was right, she thought. I haven't been as focused as I was. I don't know if I care as much as I used to about climbing to the top. In fact, I'm not sure what my priorities are anymore. I just don't know. I'm so confused. I'm trying to straddle the line and make everyone happy, and in turn I feel like I'm making no one happy. My girlfriend is mad at me, my work partner is mad at me, and my boss has expectation that I'm not sure I want to meet. I just don't know what to do anymore. Quinn took a deep breath and then smiled slightly at Kitty and dropped her shoulders. "Look, Kitty, you're right. And I'm sorry. I-I haven't been as focused as I was before I left. You know, having Santana here…it's just been a big adjustment in my life, and she's important to me, and I want her to be happy, and it's something I have to put time into, but there's only so many hours in the day, and I feel like I just can't do everything that everyone wants me to do, and I'm being pulled in too many directions, and I just can't please everyone and make everyone happy…" Quinn started rambling.

"Hey – I get it", Kitty said, and put her hand up. "And I didn't mean to yell at you. But look at things from my point of view. You've got a new girlfriend, and maybe that's great for you, but that has nothing to do with me. I've got a project right now, the most important project of my career, and I've got a boss who is expecting big results from both me _and_ you, but then I've got a partner who I was really looking forward to working with on this project, and we've talked about climbing to the top together, and now, this partner doesn't seem like she gives a shit, even though she told me two months ago that someday we were going to be on the cover of Fortune 500 together. How do you think that makes me feel, Quinn? Huh?" Quinn looked down, so Kitty rolled on. "I'll tell you how that makes me feel – I feel let down, Quinn. I feel like you're letting me down, and I want my partner back, the one that, up until her trip to Hawaii, used to push me and inspire me, and the one that I thought was always going to be there for me, and the one that I thought I would build a career with."

Quinn looked at Kitty and sighed. "Kitty, I admit", Quinn said, her head swirling with thoughts. "I haven't been focusing on this project as much as I should be, and I-I-I...need to be more committed."

Kitty's face softened, and she lightly grabbed Quinn's arms. "Look, Quinn - I need this project to be successful. And so do you. Landing the Kensington account would be a big win for both of us. It could push us both to the next level." She looked Quinn in the eyes. "Think about your future, Quinn. Your future is to be the CEO of a big marketing agency one day. Mine is to be your partner – chief operations officer, managing director, whatever. Look - I've worked my entire career with one goal – to get to the top. And I want to get there with _you_. And you told me that you wanted that, too – to get there with _me_. That's our goal, Quinn – a partnership, a future together. And that future won't happen if we're not focused, not determined, and not committed. You need to get your priorities straight and get your head back in the game, and put our careers first. People don't make it in this world by blowing off work to go hang with some chick, no matter how hot she is."

Quinn looked at Kitty. She was going to say something about Kitty's last jab at Santana, but she decided that was small potatoes compared to the larger issue at hand right now, which was that Kitty didn't think that Quinn was giving it her all on this project. Quinn knew that she wasn't giving Santana her all in their relationship, either, and part of Quinn wanted to be able to tell Kitty that her heart just wasn't in it anymore, that she really didn't care as much as she used to about getting to the top of the corporate world, and that her relationship with Santana was the most important think in her life, but there was something about Kitty's ambition and determination that made those words stick in Quinn's throat. Perhaps it may be because seeing Kitty fired up reminded Quinn of how she herself used to be – focused, ambitious, and determined. Just a few months ago, she had though: the whole world is mine for the taking, and there's nothing that will stand in my way. I used to love that feeling, Quinn thought, and it made her think about how motivated she used to be to succeed. Seeing Kitty's determination made Quinn to some degree want to jump back on the horse and climb to the top of the world. She smiled at Kitty and said, "Hey, Kitty - I appreciate the talk. My priorities are straight. I'm good to go." She then looked Kitty in the eye and said, "Just one thing, though - no more snide comments about Santana, alright?"

"Fine. Good", Kitty said and smiled back. Her hands lingered on Quinn's arms, and then she slid her hands down to grab Quinn's. She took Quinn's hands and held them. Kitty had never done that before, and Quinn thought the gesture was a bit too intimate, but given the talk they just had, she let it slide. Kitty came a bit closer to Quinn and stopped just short of Quinn's face. She looked at Quinn and said, "I'm glad I got my running partner back." Quinn continued to smile, and Kitty leaned in a bit closer and, in a voice that was almost an intimate whisper, said, "Let's go win this thing." Then she winked at Quinn, backed up, let go of Quinn's hands, and motioned for Quinn to sit down at her own desk. Quinn took a deep breath, exhaled, and put on her game face. They sat down and went back to work.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was setting up the bar. This was her favorite time, when the bar was empty. The quiet before the storm. This place was busier than she thought it would be, and once she got slammed, it just never stopped. Plus, people here seemed more impatient. They had to get their drinks immediately. It wasn't like back home, where people would wait patiently for their drinks. It was like, people here weren't necessarily mean, but everyone wanted something in a hurry. I guess that's just Chicago, Santana thought. Life is just faster paced here, and I guess that applies to getting your drink on as well as everything else.

Santana was stacking glasses when she heard the side door to the alley open. She heard the sound of heavy equipment being loaded in, and she looked up and saw that the band had arrived. She watched them as they hauled their gear onto the stage and started setting up. They looked like a typical four-piece rock band with the standard rock band lineup – lead vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer. Santana noticed, though, that the bassist was an Asian woman, decent looking, and she was wearing a black tank top with the word "Grindz" written across the front in red lettering. Santana stared at her for a second, and thought about how this woman reminded her of home. Santana reckoned that over half the people in Hawaii were Asian, or _hapa_ at least part Asian. Santana watched the bassist for a moment longer and then went back to setting up the bar. She was half-listening to the band tune up and was rinsing glasses when she heard a cheerful voice.

"Hey there".

Santana looked up. It was the bassist from the band. Up close, she was prettier than Santana had first thought. She had long, black hair streaked with purple and red. She wore a black choker, the black Grindz tank top, a leather wristband, a studded leather belt, a black leather skirt, black fishnets, and black high heeled leather boots. She looked very rock n' roll, with almost a touch of goth.

"May I get a soda from you, please?"

Santana was struck by her politeness. Judging by her looks, she figured this woman would have at least a bit of a rock star attitude, but she had a nice voice and had asked Santana very politely for a non-alcoholic drink. In fact, Santana thought, this might be the nicest person I've met in this bar since I started working here, two and a half weeks ago. She smiled at the woman and said, "Absolutely". She handed the woman a soda.

"And, whatever you're drinking", the girl said and smiled.

Santana laughed slightly. "I uh, actually don't drink when I'm on duty", she explained, politely turning down the offer.

"Well, I don't either. I mean, when I perform. I don't drink alcohol when I perform."

"I guess that makes two of us", Santana said.

"So, can I buy you a soda?" The woman said and smiled. Santana smiled back and then poured herself a soda.

"Cheers", the woman said and raised her glass. "To…not drinking when we work". The woman smiled, and she and Santana clinked glasses.

"I'm Tina", the woman said, and stuck out her hand.

Santana shook it. "Nice to meet you, Tina. I'm Santana. So, where are you from, Tina?"

"I'm from California. San Diego, to be exact. How did you know I'm not from here?"

"You said 'soda'. Everyone here says 'pop'."

Tina laughed. "I know, right? I just can't bring myself to say that word. It sounds so silly."

"I agree", Santana said and laughed.

"Wait, where are you from? You don't sound like you're from here. I hear an accent."

"I'm from Hawaii", Santana said.

"No way! I thought maybe that's where your accent was from. My brother went to school at UH. He graduated last year. I visited him once when he was there. It's a magical place. Anyway, he got me this shirt. He tells me "grinds" is the local term there for good food."

"Yup, he's right. I actually noticed your shirt when you walked in." She smiled at Tina. "You remind me of home."

"Oh yeah?" Tina smiled back. "Do you miss it there?"

"Yeah. I do".

"When did you move here?"

"I moved here just over month ago."

"And…what brought you here?"

"I actually moved here to be with my girlfriend".

"Oh, okay." Tina's voice dropped a bit, but she picked right back up. "And where is she tonight?"

"She's working."

"Oh, she works nights too? Does she work at a bar as well?"

"Actually, she works in marketing."

Tina furrowed her brows. "Really? She works in marketing and she's working on a Friday night? Hmmm. My brother works in marketing. He usually doesn't work weekend nights. He usually works like normal people hours, like 9-5 or 6 Monday through Friday."

"Well, I thought that's the way it was supposed to be for her, too, when I moved here to be with her. But my girlfriend is working on a big project, so she's been working a lot of hours lately."

Well, that's a bummer. I mean, you guys probably don't get to see each other that much then, with her working that much and your night hours, huh?"

Santana felt weird. She usually wouldn't talk about this with a stranger, but for some reason Tina was very easy to talk with. "No, not really. I mean, we haven't seen much of each other at all in the last two weeks. Actually, we haven't seen much of each other ever since I moved here. The shitty thing is, I moved here to be with her."

Tina frowned. "And she couldn't take a Friday night off to come down and hang out with you?"

"No, I guess not".

Tina shook her head. "I don't know – sometimes I think these corporate types need to loosen up a bit and relax more, you know? Always running the rat race." Tina and Santana both laughed. This woman gets it, Santana thought.

"Yeah, I hear you. I mean, I keep trying to tell her that, but, I don't know – she's just so focused on 'winning this big pitch' thing she's working on".

"Awww, that sucks", Tina said, sympathetically. "Well hey – after I'm done playing, and you're done working, maybe we can have a drink. Like, an actual alcoholic one. You know, just a good drink and good company". Tina smiled.

Santana thought for a second and then said, "Yeah. I'd like that". She smiled back.

"Me too. Hey – what do I owe you for the 'pops'", Tina said, and they both laughed.

"Nothing. Those are on me."

"Okay, well, I'll get the next round."

"Alright. I'll hold you to that", Santana said and winked.

"Well, I'll let you get back to work." Tina smiled. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Santana said. Tina started to walk back towards the stage. "Hey!" Santana called. Tina turned around. "Break a leg. I'll be watching from here", Santana said and smiled. Tina smiled back, then turned around and walked towards the stage. Santana remained smiling and stared at her for a moment longer, then went back to her setup.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey Santana, how'd your night go?" Tina asked. "It was busy, huh?"

"My God, yes", Santana nodded and rolled her eyes. It was 4am and the bar was closing down. It had been packed since ten, and Santana had been slammed the entire night.

"You still want to get that drink?" Tina asked.

"Yes, definitely", Santana said, emphatically nodding her head. "Actually, Tina, is there a place you know of that had food as well as drinks?" Santana realized she hadn't eaten since lunch. She had skipped dinner since had been upset that Quinn had called it off to work.

"Yep. I know a good low-key place. Diner style that serves beers. It's quiet. Does that work for you?"

"Sounds wonderful."

"Okay, let me load the rest of my gear and we'll rock out of here", Tina said with a smile.

"I can help you load if you want", Santana offered.

"Oh. That'd be great. Thank you", Tina said appreciatively. They loaded the rest of Tina's gear into her car and left the bar. Tina drove for about ten minutes and then parked the car.

"Hollywood Grill, huh?" Santana said as they walked up to the diner.

"Yup. Best place to grab a beer and a Polish sausage after hours." Tina smiled and held the door open for Santana. They were seated at a window booth, and the waitress brought them menus and two beers.

"Cool place", Santana said, as they sipped their beers.

"Yeah, I like it. We come here sometimes as a band after shows."

"You guys were great by the way", Santana said. They were kind of like a cross between Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins, Santana thought. It was a rocking' sound, and Tina was a really good bassist.

"Thanks. I really appreciate that." Tina smiled at Santana. She has a nice smile, Santana thought. And a sweet personality.

"So", Santana had to ask. "Do you have a boyfriend…or a girlfriend?" Tina didn't say anything, so Santana followed up with, "Or maybe, being a rock star and all, you'd just rather be single."

Tina smiled shyly and then said, "No. I was seeing someone until recently. We broke up about a month ago."

"Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"No, it's fine. She said I was too unfocused, not serious enough with my life. She's a financial planner. Has a job in a big office building downtown, makes good money, you know - that kind of thing. She said that I didn't have enough ambition or direction. Like, I'm 26, I should be thinking about getting a real job, as opposed to just playing music, yada yada yada. It was kind of like, she was really into dating a musician at first, but then when things got more serious, well…I don't know. I guess she just didn't see a future with me."

"Yeah, I hear you", Santana said. "It's like, for some reason, if you don't have a high powered job in the corporate world, then society looks at you like you're somehow less of a person, or something."

"Exactly", Tina said. "I mean, I think we should enjoy life, do what we want, and not be so concerned with making it to the top and constantly spinning our wheels in the rat race. You know what I mean?"

Santana looked at Tina. What she said mirrored a thought in her head. Quinn was so concerned with climbing the corporate ladder. Why couldn't she just be content with enjoying life, like she had seemed when they had first met in Hawaii? Santana had thought that she would rub off on Quinn, maybe bring some of the aloha spirit with her to Chicago and instill it into Quinn's life. But, it seemed like Quinn was more concerned with landing her damn pitch than spending time with Santana. Santana thought for a moment, and then another thought entered her mind. What if I had known that this was what life here would be like? Would I have still come? And then another thought. What if Quinn really isn't the person that I thought she was when I showed up at Quinn's hotel room, pledging my love to Quinn and agreeing to move to Chicago with her? What if, after this project is done, Quinn does end up putting priority on her career over their life together? Will I still love Quinn? Will I still want to stay with Quinn? And then one more thought. What if I'm not good enough for Quinn, or the type of person she really wants? What if Quinn really wants someone more motivated, more corporate-minded? Dare I think, someone like Kitty? Santana thought. Quinn had never said anything, but still, Santana wondered. She looked across the table at the woman staring back at her and thought: It's nice to have someone to talk with. Someone who really understands my point of view that we should be working to live, not living to work. Plus, she's cute, in a rocker-girl kind of way. That doesn't hurt.

"Santana?" Tina asked. Her voice brought Santana back to the present.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about what you said", Santana said. She looked at Tina and said, "I couldn't agree more", and then smiled.

Tina smiled back. She held Santana's gaze for a moment longer and then cleared her throat, picked up a menu, and said, "So…um…should we order a couple Polish sausages and some fries? And another round of beers?" She looked at Santana and smiled again. "I'm buying."

Santana looked back at Tina, smiled, and picked up a menu.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"This is it", Santana said, as Tina's car pulled up to the apartment. It was just before 6am, and the sky was beginning to turn light. Tina put the car in park and looked over at Santana. "Hey, I had a really nice time tonight", she said.

Santana grabbed her purse and looked back at Tina. "Me too", she said. "Thanks for the meal and the beers." She leaned her head in a bit and said, "And for the talk. It was really…nice."

Santana smiled and kept her eyes on Tina. Tina smiled back. She mirrored Santana's movement and leaned her head in as well. Their faces were less than a foot apart. They sat there like that for a few seconds, and then Tina moved in closer. She paused, less than six inches from Santana's lips. "I really want to kiss you right now", she said, in a voice that was barely more than a whisper.

Santana moved in closer. Less than two inches and their lips would meet. They stayed there for a moment, and then Santana looked down. "I'm sorry, I-I-I can't", she said, and pulled back.

"No, it's okay", Tina said. "I'm sorry. I-I-I was wrong...to try to kiss you. You told me you have a girlfriend, and I…I don't know. I guess I just felt like we…connected."

"It's not your fault", Santana said. "I mean, we do connect, and you're cute in your rock star kind of way. I just-"

"Look", Tina cut her off, "I don't want to be a homewrecker or anything. I mean, I know we probably shouldn't hook up, even though I want to, 'cause, well, you're totally hot." She paused for a moment and then looked at Santana and said, "But, can I just tell you something? I think your girlfriend needs to spend more time with you. I mean, I get that work is important to her, but spending time with people who are important in your life is more important." She paused and then said, "I mean, if you were my girlfriend, I wouldn't leave you alone." She smiled. Santana smiled back but didn't say anything, so Tina continued. "Hey, I've got a show at Double Door in two weeks. I'd love for you to come see me play, but, well…maybe you and your girlfriend need to figure some things out. The next time I see you, if our faces get that close again, I may not leave you alone", she said and smiled at Santana.

Santana laughed softly. "Yeah, okay." She looked at Tina, smiled, and then said, "Thanks again. See you around."

"Bye, Santana", Tina said softly and smiled back. She waited for Santana to exit the car and get into the apartment building, then drove off, still smiling.


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for all of the feedback. Yup - the drama is building. I especially enjoyed reading your thoughts regarding the introduction of Tina in the last chapter, as well as Kitty's talk with Quinn. I got everything from readers wanting to see Tina and Santana actually get together to readers telling me to go f- myself. Anyway, here is another chapter. This may the last update for a day or two (I know I say that a lot, but I'll be traveling and working this weekend). I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 21

Quinn's eyes fluttered open. She looked at the clock on her bed stand. 5:18am. She rolled over and reached out to touch Santana but found Santana's side of the bed empty. That's weird, she thought. Santana should be home by now. She must be having a really busy night at the bar. Quinn stared at Santana's empty side of the bed and felt a bit forlorn. The truth was that she missed Santana. She didn't see Santana as much as she should, and Quinn knew that was on her, but she always loved seeing Santana sleeping next to her when she woke up in the morning. It made her happy to feel Santana's warmth and to know that, no matter what their schedules were like, they still slept in the same bed together. Quinn stared for another moment and then closed her eyes. I need to be up by eight this morning to meet the team in the office for an all-day brainstorming session. On a Saturday. I can't wait for this pitch to be over, she thought. She sighed and then tried to push the thought of Santana not being there out of her mind so she could get a few more hours of sleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana's eyes fluttered open. She looked at the clock on her bed stand. 2:37pm. She laid in bed for a moment, then stretched, got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She went to make coffee and noticed a note from Quinn by the coffee maker, written on a sticky note.

_Good morning, sleepyhead =)_

_I hope you had a nice night at work_

_last night. I'm at the office today._

_Give me a call when you wake up._

_Love you,_

_XOXO, Q_

That was nice, Santana thought. Quinn didn't usually leave notes like that. Santana made coffee and then dialed Quinn's number on her cellphone.

"Hi hon", Quinn picked up.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Just working. Trying to get through this pitch."

"Okay. You wanted me to call? Thanks for the note by the way", Santana said.

"You're welcome. And nothing's going on. I just wanted to say hi and hear your voice."

"Awww, thanks." Santana smiled into the phone.

"How was your night last night?"

Santana thought about that. It was actually the most enjoyable night she'd had in a couple weeks. "Um, it was good", she answered.

"You got home really late. Were you super busy?"

"Um, yeah, uh, it was busy." Santana wasn't sure if she wanted to mention that she had gone out after work with the bassist from the band.

"Well, good. I hope you at least got some sleep today."

"I did, thanks."

"Well, I'm going to be here until after dinner is my guess. What time do you work tonight?"

"I have to be there at eight", Santana said.

"Awww, well, I'm probably not going to see you then today. Are you still good for lunch tomorrow?"

"Um…yeah, I'm still good."

"Okay. Well, have a great day", Quinn said.

"You too."

"I love you."

"Love you too", Santana said and hung up the phone. She sat at the dining room table, sipping her coffee and thinking. It's funny that Quinn somehow decided to leave me a note for the first time, the day after I went out for a late-night meal with some other girl, Santana thought. Is she psychic? Santana mused and laughed to herself, thinking about how funny it was that sometimes people just seemed to do things out of the blue that just so happened to coincide with something else that they couldn't possibly have known about. She wondered if somehow people subconsciously knew or felt through some kind of metaphysical interconnectivity that things were happening. Then she laughed to herself over the randomness of that thought, stretched for a moment and then went in the shower.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, are you okay?" Quinn asked Santana. They had just pulled up in Quinn's car outside of Judy Fabray's condo in Evanston for lunch. Quinn had lived in this condo with her mother while she finished up high school after her father had passed away. Santana was fidgeting in her seat, nervous about meeting Quinn's mother for the first time.

"Uh…yeah", Santana said, nervously. She had spent most of the morning switching outfits, with Quinn telling her not to worry so much. She settled on a red and light grey dress with a pair of conservative grey heels. She wanted to be dressy enough to make a good impression but conservative enough so as to fit her conception of what Quinn's mother would expect and like.

Quinn smiled reassuringly at Santana. "It'll be fine, hon. I mean, Rachel and that gang all liked you."

"I know, but that's different", Santana said. "This is your mother."

"Right…but, I met your family, and that went fine."

"Sure, but m-" Santana was about to say, 'My family isn't from a rich suburb and they don't work high-powered corporate jobs, and I'm afraid that your mother is going to look down on me', but she didn't want to come off as sounding accusatory or negative, so she said, "my closest relative is my aunt, so it's not…um…like meeting someone's mother…" Santana trailed off.

Quinn read into what Santana was thinking and figured out what she had started to say. She thought about asking something like, 'Isn't meeting someone's _ohana_ just as important as meeting someone's mother?' but she knew Santana was nervous, so she let it slide and decided to stay positive and encouraging. "Look, hon – please don't worry about what my mom is going to think of you. Just go in and be yourself, and it'll be fine", Quinn said, even though she wasn't 100 percent sure that her mom wouldn't come off as judgmental. "Plus, I'll be right there, hon. It's not like you're going in alone." She smiled at Santana and squeezed her hand. The truth be told, Quinn was nervous as well, but she knew that to minimize Santana's nervousness, she had to mask her own and stay positive.

"Okay, okay", Santana said. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and looked at Quinn. She put on a brave smile and said, "I'm ready." Quinn leaned over, gave her a kiss for encouragement, and they got out of the car. Quinn took Santana's hand, and they walked into the main entrance of the condo building. They took the elevator up three floors and arrived at the condo's front door. Quinn still had a key, so she let herself and Santana in.

"Hi Mom. We're here", Quinn called out. She and Santana stood in the foyer.

Judy Fabray emerged from the kitchen. She was dressed in her Sunday best and sipping a drink. "Hello, Lucy Quinn", she greeted her daughter and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled at her daughter, and then her gaze fell on Santana.

"Uh, Mom, uh, this is Santana." Quinn stumbled a bit. It had been a long time since she had introduced a significant other to her mother.

Santana stuck out her hand. "Hi Mrs. Fabray, it's really nice to meet you", she said cheerfully in her sing-song voice.

"Hello Santana", Judy said and shook her hand. So far so good, Santana thought. She seems nice enough. Kind of formal and stuffy, but at least she didn't take a jab at me right away, like Kitty did. I hope she likes me. I'm a little intimidated by her formal style, not to mention the fact that she's the mother of my girlfriend to begin with. "Please, both of you, come in and have a seat at the table", Judy said. They walked into dining room area and sat at the table. Santana noticed the nice china table set. "Lunch is almost ready. Lucy Quinn – you can get drinks for yourself and Santana." Judy headed back into the kitchen.

"Lucy Quinn?" Santana asked, whispering, and then giggled softly.

"Yes, hon. My first name is Lucy", Quinn said and smiled and rolled her eyes. Santana, still giggling quietly, started to say something, but Quinn put up her hand. "Don't make fun", she said, still smiling, then kissed Santana quickly and went into the fridge to grab two pops for her and Santana. Judy emerged a few minutes later with a ham and spinach quiche and a plate of sautéed asparagus. She sat down at the table and started cutting the quiche and serving it onto the fine china plates.

"So, Santana", Judy began. "Quinn gave me an overview on how you both met."

"Uh, yeah, uh, we met in Hawaii", Santana said, not sure what to say.

"So, what were you doing in Hawaii before you followed my daughter to Chicago?"

"Well, Mom, Santana didn't 'follow' me here", Quinn said. "I mean, I asked her to move here with me."

"Oh. Well, I just figured she followed you here. I mean, asking someone to make a move like that for you after knowing her for only three weeks is pretty impulsive, and that's not like you, Lucy Quinn."

"Mom, I wanted us to be together", Quinn said.

Santana looked at Quinn and could tell that Quinn was edging towards being annoyed, or upset or both. She could tell that Quinn was already on edge, since she had been nervous about this meeting, even though she had tried to play it cool the whole morning. "Um, I was a lifeguard, and I taught surfing lessons and worked on fishing boats", Santana said, answering the question that Judy asked her, in an effort to change the subject so Quinn would remain in good spirits.

"Hmmm…that sounds…nice. And what are you doing now?"

"Um, I'm bartending at a club near where we live."

"You mean where Quinn's apartment is?"

"Mom, it's Santana's apartment, too. She lives there with me."

"And I assume this job is just temporary while you look for something more serious?" Judy asked.

"Um, I'm not really sure", Santana answered honestly. "I mean, I'm still trying to find myself in this city…you know, like figure out what I want to do."

"How old are you, Santana?" Judy asked.

"Mom, really?" Quinn said.

"Quinn, it's okay", Santana said. "I'm 30."

"30", Judy repeated. "You should have that figured out by now, at 30, Santana."

"Mom, please", Quinn said, more firmly.

Santana paused. She was starting to feel a bit annoyed herself – first Kitty and now this woman judging her within the first 5 minutes of meeting her – but she smiled and answered, "Well, I had things figured out in Hawaii, but then I met Quinn and, well, you know, things changed, and this was a big move for me." She paused for a moment and then continued. "It's a big move to make, moving across the world for someone", she said, looking at both Judy and Quinn, "so I'm just, you know, trying to adjust."

Quinn smiled at Santana, understanding the point Santana was making to her as well as to her mother. "Santana is doing just fine, Mom. We're both doing just fine together."

"Well, bartending is fun, I'm sure. But it's not a career. There's no future or security in it", Judy said.

"Mom, look. Things are going well. I love having Santana here, and that's the bottom line."

"No, the bottom line is that anyone with my daughter needs to plan for the future", Judy said, looking at Quinn and then at Santana.

"Mrs. Fabray - I enjoy bartending, and the money isn't bad. And, well, Quinn makes good money, so money isn't really a worry for us."

"Well, that's what Quinn and I thought up until her father passed away, didn't we, dear?" Judy said, and looked at Quinn. "I'm sure Quinn has told you about that tragedy and subsequent hardship."

"Yes, she did, and I'm sorry."

"Mom, I _have_ been planning, okay? So don't worry about that. I make good money, and I have money saved away. I - well, _we_", Quinn said, and grabbed Santana's hand, "will be okay if something should happen."

"Well, good. I'm glad to hear it", Judy said. "Because let me tell you, ladies, no matter how much money you have, you never have as much as you think you do. Especially when you have children. You two do want children, right?"

"Mom – stop, _please_." Quinn put up a hand. "That's a ways away. Right now, we're just enjoying being together."

Santana sat there and thought for a moment, then said, "I understand planning for the future, Mrs. Fabray, but for me, money isn't everything. I came from not having a lot of money, and I've never had a lot of money, and I've never really worried about having a lot of money. I love your daughter, and I will always be there for her, but money isn't everything to me, and I hope it isn't everything to her, either." She looked at Quinn.

"Well", Judy said, "I just don't want you two, and your children, to have to go through what Quinn and I went through. And I know Quinn doesn't want to go through that again, either. So, Santana, while I don't require you to be a multimillionaire, you just can't stay a bartender for the rest of your life."

"Mom, please – that's enough." Quinn was getting upset. Yes, she loved her mother, and yes, her mother had drilled the importance of planning into her head ever since the death of her father, but that didn't mean she was okay with her mother jumping all over her girlfriend. Santana made her happy in ways no one else did, and even though she was working too much and not seeing her enough, and even though she was still trying to juggle priorities in her head, and even though she agreed with her mother about being prepared for the future, she loved Santana and cared about her. Quinn was about to say something about her mother being too judgmental, but Santana gently grabbed her arm and kept her down.

"You know what, Mrs. Fabray, I love your daughter, and I will do what I can to work with her on making sure we have a secure future", she said, if for no other reason than to quell the argument that was quickly approaching. Inside she thought, it's unfortunate that I don't see eye to eye with my possible future mother-in-law.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it", Judy said. "So, who wants coffee?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, thanks for meeting my mom today, hon", Quinn said. They were driving back towards the city. "I hope it wasn't too painful."

"It was fine", Santana said as cheerfully as she could. It hadn't gone as well as she had hoped, but it certainly hadn't been terrible, and she didn't want Quinn to worry about her not liking Judy. One of the things that Santana had done before the meeting was temper her expectations, and that, combined with how she viewed meeting a girlfriend's parents in general, put her in the mindsent that any meeting less than a total disaster was a good start. Actually, she hadn't met many parents of significant others, since she hadn't really been in many relationships that had lasted long enough to get to that point. At any rate, Judy Fabray was nice enough, but Santana was struggling with the thought that Judy might not deem her worthy of her daughter, and that was a bit offputting.

"So, I have something I'd like to do with you, if you're up for it."

'Yeah, totally!" Santana perked up. They jumped onto Lakeshore Drive heading south, passed the apartment, and then rounded the S curve and headed past Grant Park towards the south loop. Quinn took a left at a huge building that sat on the Lake Michigan shoreline and pulled the car into the parking lot.

"This is the Shedd Aquarium", Quinn said. "I thought maybe you'd like a taste of home", she said and smiled.

"Oh, cool!" Santana said and smiled back. She liked the fact that Quinn was thinking about her. Yes, Quinn wasn't around nearly as much as Santana wanted her to be, and true, Santana had been upset the last time Quinn had missed dinner two nights ago, but she loved Quinn, and she knew Quinn loved her. Quinn told her that she thought about Santana all the time when she was working, and Santana believed her, that maybe it was just a matter of getting past the next few weeks until this damn pitch of hers is done, and then things will be better, she hoped. Plus, the weather had warmed up, and that was nice. Warm weather reminded her of home, and she could go outside more and not have to feel like she was couped up in the apartment. Maybe, when Quinn frees up, they could do more stuff outside, like go for walks on the beach and do some hiking, or maybe even swim in the lake. Santana had heard that people actually surf the lake in the winter, since the storms create waves, but that sounded crazy to her.

Quinn took Santana's hand and lead them up the stairs into the aquarium's main entrance. She paid the admission, took a brochure for them, and the two women set off exploring. They stopped at each tank, looking at the fish and reading the descriptions.

"Oh, look, hon – a Hawaiian exhibit!" Quinn said excitedly, and pointed to a large section of the aquarium. She took Santana's hand, and the two of them walked over. They came across the dolphin tank and stopped to watch them swim and take some pictures.

"Hey", Quinn said. "Does this remind you of home?"

"Yeah", Santana said. Kind of, she thought. She looked at the dolphins, swimming in circles in their small tank. Santana liked aquariums and had been to Sea Life Park in Hawaii many times, but right now she had one thought in her mind: I wonder if these dolphins ever feel trapped. Because that's how I feel sometimes. She stared at the dolphins and then looked outside the aquarium windows at Lake Michigan, and she thought about the dolphins suddenly jumping out of their tank, breaking through the glass and swimming away in Lake Michigan. I wonder what it would be like if I did that, Santana thought – broke out of my tank. Maybe jumped on a plane and went somewhere, maybe back home. I wonder how I would feel if I did that, Santana mused, and she smiled a bit at the randomness of such a thought.

Quinn caught her smiling and gently grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a kiss. "What are you smiling at, hon?" She asked Santana.

"Oh, nothing", Santana smiled back. "I'm just…having a good day. This Hawaii exhibit does remind me of home, that's all."

Quinn smiled back. "I'm glad, hon", Quinn said. She leaned in to kiss Santana again, and the two of them continued on their way.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Santana exited the aquarium a few hours later. They took a walk towards the end of the parking lot and stopped to look back at the panoramic view of the downtown city skyline. Quinn stood behind Santana and wrapped her arms around Santana's waist. Santana leaned her head back onto Quinn's shoulder.

"Hi, baby", Santana said.

"Hi, hon", Quinn answered.

"I'm glad we get to spend the day together".

"Me too", Quinn answered. She had bargained with Kitty to take a few hours off today to have lunch with her mother. Since lunch, she had decided that she was going to take the rest of the day off as well. She knew Kitty would give her an earful, but right now, spending time alone with her girlfriend seemed more important. She hadn't spent a full day off with Santana in two weeks, since she had taken Santana to the north shore. She remained silent for a second and then said, "Hon – are you happy here?"

Santana thought for a moment and then said, "I think so. I mean, things aren't quite what I thought they would be when I moved here, but, I mean, there are things I like about living here."

"I know. They aren't quite what I thought they would be for us, either, with me having to work so much and all, but I want you to be happy here", Quinn said, and she nuzzled into the back of Santana's neck.

"I don't know", Santana said. "I mean, I really wish you were around more, but I know you know that, and I know you can't help that you're busy, and I'm sure things will get better when work slows down for you."

'Well, I want you to be happy here", Quinn said again. "I want you to feel at home." She was silent for a second, and then said, "And San, if, after my work dies down, you're still not happy here, or you still don't feel at home…well, we can talk about options." Quinn kissed the back of Santana's neck and continued to hold her. Am I losing her? Quinn thought. I can tell she's not happy here, and I want to make her happy, but I've got this huge project, and it's important to me, and there's nothing I can really do about it right now, so hopefully Santana can just hold on for a bit longer, and once this project is done, I can re-evaluate my priorities, and we can figure things out together.

Santana stared out at the panoramic view. I want to be happy here, she thought. I really do. I took a big chance to come here, and I really hoped that I would feel at home. I really hoped that being in love and living with the person I love would make me feel at home. There are other things that I like about here, too. I love the grandness of the city. I love the food. I love exploring new things, and the things I have been introduced to, like the zoo, and Wrigley Field, and this aquarium, and the Art Institute, and the north shore. But, right now, I just don't feel at home here. Between not seeing Quinn nearly as much as I would like, to her mom judging me, and that damn Kitty girl just not liking me at all, I just don't see myself wanting to stay here forever. I don't know. Maybe I just don't fit in here. Maybe I just don't belong here. Hopefully things change for the better once Quinn is done with this project she is on, because if not, I feel like I'm going to have to do something.


	22. Chapter 22

Thanks as always for the feedback. Yes, the drama is building, and the shiznit is going to hit the fan soon. Just a few of thoughts from me:

1. Quinntana is endgame. I know I have mentioned that before, but the swell is only going to build, so I thought I'd reiterate that.

2. Some of you have questioned why some of the characters behave the way they do – either doing something or acting in ways they shouldn't be, or not doing something or not acting in ways they should be. I will get into some deeper thoughts on this when I write the epilogue, but this chapter will address that a little bit, at least with regards to Quinn. Also, it's important to remember that people are complex, and that we live in a complex world. And, there are times when it's easier to see what is happening from the outside looking in (i.e. you the reader) than when one is actually involved in a situation (i.e. the characters in the story).

3. On the flipside of writing a realistic story, I am a sucker for Hollywood, so some of the happenings in this story may seem either a little exaggerated or a little unrealistic, but I think it makes for a good story, and I hope you agree.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 22

"Wow, this is soooo awesome!" Santana said as she looked around.

Quinn and Santana were at the Chicago Blues Festival, one of the many outdoor festivals that the city held each year during the summer months. They were in Grant Park in downtown Chicago, the same venue that hosts Lollapalooza each year. There were five stages, and Quinn and Santana were watching a local blues band perform on one of the smaller stages near a beer garden. Rachel, Brittany and Bree stood nearby them.

Quinn smiled at Santana and leaned in to give her a kiss. She was happy that Santana was having a good time. This was the first time in almost two weeks that they had spent time together on a weekend, since they had gone to Quinn's mother's for lunch and then to the aquarium.

"Wassup, bitches?" The women turned around and saw Kitty approaching, a beer in each hand. Santana inwardly sighed. Quinn had warned Santana that Kitty would probably show up. Santana was hoping that she wouldn't, but now that Kitty was here, she told herself to just keep her chin up and stay positive.

"Hey Kitty", Quinn said. Brittany and Bree half smiled and waved at Kitty. Rachel didn't say or do anything.

"Hey hot stuff", Kitty said loudly, acknowledging only Quinn. The music was playing, but Santana still heard the comment. Quinn looked at Santana, who frowned, and then Quinn looked at Kitty and smiled slightly. "Alright, Kitty, knock it off", she chided.

"Jeez, I'm just playing. God, you're uptight, even when you're _out_ of the office. You should lighten up and relax. I mean, this may be the last free time we get before the pitch next Thursday." As Quinn had expected, Kitty had given her a hard time about taking the afternoon off two weeks ago to take Santana to the aquarium, but Quinn had promised to make it up. They had worked non-stop since then, and now they were in the final stretch, and it had actually been Kitty's suggestion to Quinn that they take today off and hang out. Kitty, as dedicated to work as she was, still loved going to festivals and drinking outdoors during the day. A hold over from her college days, Quinn presumed. It's funny, she thought, how it's okay to take the afternoon off when Kitty wants to take time off, like to go drinking together, but not when I want to take time off, like when I want to spend time with Santana. She had thought about bringing that up, but then decided against it. At this point, any free time was welcome, and she just wanted to get through this final week without any more arguments.

Santana stood watching the band. Kitty wandered off. Quinn moved away from Santana's side to talk with Brittany, Bree and Rachel. Santana finished her beer and tossed the cup into a nearby garbage can. She continued to watch the band, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Kitty standing there, two beers in hand.

"Hey, I got you a beer."

Santana stared for a second. Was Kitty actually being nice to me? she wondered. Kitty raised her eyebrows, and Santana took the beer.

"Thank you, Kitty", Santana said, genuinely appreciative. Kitty moved to stand beside Santana, facing the band.

"So, I realize that I may have rubbed you the wrong way", Kitty started in. "I know I'm sarcastic, and that's just the way I am."

Is this Kitty saying sorry to me? If so, why couldn't she just say that? Or maybe those are words that never come out of Kitty's mouth. "It's okay", Santana said. "Thank you for the apology."

"Well, it's not an apology", Kitty said quickly. "I wanna talk to you about something. Look, I know Quinn is important to you. You're the new squeeze in her life. I get that", she said. "But you need to know something too: Quinn is important to me as well. She's my work partner. We share a deep passion for marketing, and that's an important connection. Plus, we work well together. In fact, she's the best work partner I've ever had. I've known her for a lot longer than you have, and we came up together in the business. We've talked about making it to the top together ever since we met, two years ago. And you know what? Getting to the top together is still the plan."

Santana sighed. She was really hoping that Kitty wanted to bury the hatchet. No such luck. She didn't know what Kitty wanted, or why Kitty had approached her to talk, but she decided to do what she could to make things as smooth as possible between them. "Look, Kitty, I know that you and Quinn are close, and I know that you've known her longer than me, and I don't want to get in the way of you guys working together. It's just that, I'd like to see her more than I do, and this project you guys are working on together is taking time away from her and me seeing each other. And, it's killing her, too."

"It's not killing her", Kitty said. "Maybe it's killing you, but it's not killing her. See, Quinn's a hard worker. I would know. We both are. She and I both share a hard work ethic and a drive for success, which is something a lot of people don't have. Even if someone like you doesn't understand that, people like Quinn and I do. Look, I'm okay with you guys hanging out and stuff, but she's in my life too, and I can't afford to have her lose focus or determination because she's hanging out with you. Quinn knows that, too. She and I both know that we won't make it to the top if we don't take things seriously."

We're not 'hanging out', Santana thought. That sounds so…dismissive. Quinn's my girlfriend, and I love her, and she loves me. Santana was starting to get a bit upset, but she kept her cool. "Who says Quinn wants to make it to the top?"

"She does. And I know she does. She's on the rise. You don't put in the time and effort she has put in to become the youngest VP in the company, if you don't have an ambitious goal like being a CEO."

Santana turned to look a Kitty. "Look, Kitty – I feel like we're about to start arguing, and I don't want to argue with you. I know you are an important person in Quinn's life, and I accept that. I just…I just want you to accept that I am an important person in her life, too."

Kitty squared off with Santana and said, "That's my point. You're going to have to accept that I'm in Quinn's life, in a big way."

Santana swallowed hard. She was going to say something, and there was a possibility that she might anger Kitty, and that Kitty might haul off on her, but she had to say it, so she took a deep breath and looked Kitty in the eye. "But I already accept that. You're the one who can't seem to accept that I am in her life as well."

"You know what?" Kitty continued, raising her voice. "Like I said, I've known Quinn a lot longer than you have. You fly over here like yesterday from your little sandbox, and all of a sudden you think you know everything about her. I'll tell you what", Kitty rolled on. "I don't know how things work on the beach, but that nice apartment that she lets you live in, that nice car she drives, the money she has to take you out – that shit doesn't grow on coconut trees. It's because Quinn works hard and puts in the hours, and if she needs to support you as well, she's only going to have to work harder and put in more hours."

"Kitty, please – I'd really appreciate it if you would stop making fun of me all the time for being from Hawaii. It makes me upset." Santana's voice had started to waver, and her eyes started to moisten up. Rachel was standing about 10 feet away. She had taken notice of the conversation and looked over. Quinn had disappeared.

"Fine, whatever. Just - let me ask you something, Santana", Kitty said, and spread her arms. "What kind of a future do you see with you and Quinn, huh? What do you guys have in common? Besides maybe you both like Hawaii." She let the question hang. Santana thought for a second, and before she could answer, Kitty pressed on. "You can't answer because you don't know. You don't know because you're not sure. And you're not sure because, well, let's face it – there really isn't much of a future for you two." She moved closer to Santana. "Let me tell you what _my_ future is with Quinn. She and I are going to be running the largest marketing agency in the city someday. We're going to be making millions and be on the cover of Fortune 500 together. Quinn and I will be joined at the hip for life, which is a lot longer than you will be with her."

"What's going on here?" Rachel walked up. She took one look at Santana and then glared at Kitty. "What did you say to her?" Rachel demanded.

"Nothing", Kitty said and smiled. "We were just talking about how wonderful Quinn is, and how great it is that we get to share her in our lives."

Rachel got in Kitty's face. "Kitty, leave her alone," she gritted through her teeth.

"Or you're gonna do _what_?" Kitty said, cocking her head.

Rachel clenched her fists. She had never hit anyone before, but she was closer now than she had ever been. She continued to glare at Kitty.

Kitty smirked at Rachel and said, "That's what I thought", and then said to Santana, "Enjoy the beer". She turned around and walked away. Rachel glared at Kitty's back for a moment and then turned to Santana.

"Hey, are you alright?" Rachel asked Santana.

"Where's Quinn?" Santana asked. Rachel could see tears starting to form in Santana's eyes and could hear her voice wavering, even above the music.

"She went to the bathroom. Are you alright?" Rachel asked again.

"Ummm…I need to go." Santana.

"Hey, hey, hey - I'll walk with you. Let's go this way." She looked over at Brittany. "Britt – tell Quinn we'll be right back", she said. Brittany smiled and nodded, and then Rachel took Santana's arm and lead her away from the stage area. They walked past a food vendor, and Rachel grabbed some napkins, and then they walked a few minutes to the edge of the park and sat down on a bench.

"Santana, what happened?" Rachel asked.

"She's such a bitch", Santana said, as tears started to fall from her eyes. "Why is she so mean to me? What did I ever do to her?"

"Awww…Santana. I'm sorry she made you upset", Rachel said as she handed Santana a napkin. "Look, I know Kitty can be mean, and I don't like her either, but don't let her get under your skin. She's just jealous of you and Quinn, that's all." Rachel paused for a moment and then said, "And Quinn loves you."

Santana sniffled. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

"She does, Santana. I know she does. I can tell by the way she looks at you and the way she talks about you. You know, I never told you this, and don't ever tell Quinn I told you this, but after you guys had argued in Hawaii, Quinn called me the day before she was supposed to leave to come home. She called me, all broken up about you", Rachel said, as she tried to comfort Santana by rubbing her back. "I've known Quinn for 15 years, and I've never seen her broken up about anyone. That says something."

"But she spends all of her time with Kitty. I never see her."

"It's just part of her job right now. She's just busy right now. She's not always this busy. Her work will calm down soon, and I know she'd rather be spending time with you."

"I don't know. It's like, she's a different person than the one I met in Hawaii. I never would have thought she would choose working such long hours over spending time with me. I mean, I know that she doesn't have a choice right now, and I'm trying to be supportive of her and her career, but if I had known that this is what things would be like", she paused and then continued, "I might not have moved here to be with her." Santana paused again, and then said, "I just…sometimes I just wonder why she brought me here."

Rachel touched Santana's arm in a comforting gesture. "Quinn asked you to move here because she loves you, and she wants you guys to be together. Look, Santana, you know, sometimes people act differently when they're on vacation, but that doesn't mean they're a different person. I mean, when Quinn was out in Hawaii, she wasn't really working except for going to that conference. Her everyday life was away from her, and that gave her the ability to forget about work for a bit, or at least not be wrapped up in it. I mean, people act differently all the time when they're away from their everyday lives. Like, if they travel for work, or they go on vacation. Maybe they eat differently, or maybe they skip a workout, or maybe they spend more money than they would, but that's just a function of being away from everyday life. But, now that Quinn's back here, she has to deal with everyday life. Long hours and lots of responsibility. And again, that's just real life. But, that doesn't mean she's not the same person you met. She's still her, and she still loves you." Rachel smiled supportively and said, "Don't let Kitty get you down. She's not worth worrying over".

Santana sat for a bit and then said, "I guess not. I just don't understand how Quinn can deal with her. I mean, I get that Kitty is good at marketing, but, I mean, it can't be worth putting up with her all the time." She looked at Rachel. "I mean, can it?"

"I don't know. I mean, I guess Quinn is just so used to working with her that she's kind of immune to Kitty's sarcasm and biting remarks", Rachel said. "Plus, it's like, I know they share a bond over their love of marketing, and also the drive to be successful, and I guess that can be powerful. I mean, I know that from my own life, bonds can be powerful, and hard to explain to other people. I'm an actress, and I can share the stage with people who I'm not friends with, and maybe even people who I really don't like a whole lot, but if they're good actors, then I'll enjoy working with them professionally, no matter what else they do in their lives. My boyfriend Jesse says the same thing about his band. His guitarist, Artie, is totally conceited. But, Jesse says that he shares "musical chemistry" with Artie, and that Artie is the best guitarist he's ever played with and the best songwriting partner he's ever had. Plus, Artie has great stage presence, always jumping around, and he's an energetic performer, so Jesse says that all of those things offset the fact that Artie can sometimes be, well, a cocky jerk."

"I guess. But, it's like, Kitty is mean. Like, she insults me, even in front of Quinn, and Quinn doesn't really do anything." Santana knew that Quinn was naturally an ever-tempered person, and that she didn't often get upset or like to yell, but still. She would have thought that Quinn would have taken a firmer stance with Kitty on being mean to her girlfriend. She thought about what would happen in an alternate universe where she was dating Puck, and what Puck would have done to someone who had insulted Santana.

"Yeah, I know. I've experienced that, too. Kitty has insulted me in front of Quinn, and Quinn didn't say anything more than, 'Kitty – please, stop.' I think it's just because Quinn has been around Kitty's jerkiness for so long that she's just grown used to it, and she probably doesn't realize that Kitty's biting remarks are offensive to other people."

"I guess. I just still don't see why she likes her so much."

"Like I said, it's probably because they share a passion for marketing, and that Kitty is smart and motivated, like Quinn, and for whatever reason, they work well together. I mean, and I'm not defending Kitty here at all, but it's hard to find people who you work well with. And that becomes more important when you work in small groups, or when you work closely with someone, or when there's a lot on the line, like in Quinn's profession. It's like, I guess they have good work chemistry, or something." Rachel paused, as if to think, and then continued. "I remember when Quinn first met Kitty. She was so excited. She would tell me about this young woman who she had met at work, who was smart and motivated and all that jazz, and that she was sure they were going to end up running a huge marketing agency one day together. She didn't even care that they weren't best friends, and she even admitted that this woman could be 'competitive', which was Quinn's way of saying that she knew this woman could be a flat-out jerk. Quinn didn't care about those things. She was just really excited to find someone who she clicked with in that way. Like I said, if you're passionate about something and you find people who are passionate like you about that same thing…well, that's hard to ignore."

"I know, and I understand that, but, I mean, there's more to life than rising to the top of the corporate world."

"I agree, one hundred ten percent. I think for Quinn, though, she's been focused on being successful in the working world for so long that she's just used to operating around that guiding principle in her life. It's like just second nature for her right now. I mean, I know she wants to spend more time with you, but she's just used to doing things a certain way, and, well you know, old habits die hard. I mean, think about it: for the last eleven years, all she's done is bust her ass to get to the top. Now, two months ago, she meets you, and suddenly her whole world changes. Now she's questioning everything she's worked for in the last decade, and what's important to her right now. I mean, things don't change overnight, even if people want them to. It's going to take time. But, she really does love you, Santana. Please believe that."

"I guess I just wish that she would be more…I don't know, carefree", Santana said. "That she didn't care so much about money and big corporate stuff so much, and just cared about really enjoying life. I mean, that's the person I met in Hawaii, or at least I thought I had met."

"You know, Quinn wasn't always like that. When I first met her, she was a total free spirit. She did whatever she wanted to, when she wanted to, and she really had no direction. She ditched a lot of classes, showed up to activities like Glee Club or cheerleading only when she wanted to, and never thought about college. But, when her dad died, she became super serious and motivated. Suddenly she was scoring straight A's, showing up to all of her activities, and applying to the best schools. I think her mom pushed her into being that way, and Quinn just went with it. She just got used to her mom kind of telling her what to do after her dad died, and basically running her life. I know that her father's death was hard on the family, and that must have been terrible for her to go through, but Quinn's mom basically pushed her to excel, under the fear of how terrible life would be if she had to endure another hardship again, and I think it kind of turned into a fear of failure for Quinn. I think Kitty kind of taps into Quinn the same way – the desire that's been drilled into Quinn to be successful, and when that button is pushed, Quinn just kind of naturally reacts by prioritizing work and pushing everything else aside."

Rachel was smart, Santana thought. She might be smarter than Quinn. Or maybe not. That would be hard to do. But, she was damn smart. "I guess it makes sense. It's just like, I feel like she let's people push her around, or take advantage of her sometimes. And she's so successful, you would think that she wouldn't let people do that to her."

"I agree, and I feel that too. I mean, I don't think Quinn is like that with most people, though. I mean, she can be take-charge. You saw her organize all of us when we went to dinner at the Hawaiian restaurant that one night. None of us could figure out what to order, and she got it all together in like 3 minutes. Had she not done that, we would have been sitting there for another hour, trying to decide. It's just like, she's got a blind spot when it comes to a certain few people. One is her mom, which I guess is understandable, because, well, it's her mom. The other, unfortunately, is Kitty.

Santana sat quiet for a minute, and then said, "Where is Kitty from? Do you know?"

"I think she's from somewhere up near where Quinn and I grew up. She didn't go to our school, so not Winnetka, but maybe a nearby suburb? Lake Forest? Highland Park?"

"So a nice area", Santana said.

"Yeah, they're nice areas, similar to Winnetka, which Quinn told me she took you up to a little while ago", Rachel said. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know", Santana said. "It's like…they have so much in common. Outside of Quinn being the sweetest person, and Kitty being the meanest. But the nice upbringing, the money, the looks, the brains, the ambition, a passion for marketing…"

"Santana – what are you getting at?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"I don't know. I guess…I just wonder sometimes…if, well…"

"Well, what?" Rachel prompted.

"If Quinn really wants to be with me, or would she be better off with someone like…someone like…Kitty."

"Santana – stop" Rachel admonished. "I'm telling you: Quinn loves you. Like I said, in the 15 years I've known her, I've never seen her fall for anyone like she fell for you. Look, she's surrounded everyday by people who are like her – yuppie types with a passion for marketing who can't wait to climb the corporate ladder. I think that, if she wanted to be with someone like that, then she wouldn't have fallen for you, because there are plenty of choices like that for her here in Chicago."

Rachel smiled at Santana. Santana looked at her for a moment and then smiled back. It was really nice talking with Rachel, Santana thought, and she felt a lot better.

"Thank you, Rachel. For the talk", Santana said.

"Anytime, Santana." They sat for another minute without saying anything, and then Rachel said, "So, are you ready to go back?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Alright", Rachel said. She stood up and extended her hand to help Santana up. Rachel smiled. "Let's go have some fun. That's why we came here, right?" she said, and lead them back to the stage. They walked back and saw Quinn, Bree and Brittany still at the same stage. Kitty was nowhere to be found.

"Hey guys, where'd you go?" Quinn asked. She leaned in and gave Santana a kiss.

"We were just talking", Rachel said.

"Okaaaay. Is everything alright?" Quinn asked. Rachel looked at Santana.

"Yeah. Everything is fine", Santana said.

Quinn smiled. "Good", she said, and took Santana's hand. Rachel smiled at Santana and stood on the far side next to Brittany and Bree.

"I like her", Santana said, to Quinn referring to Rachel.

"Good", Quinn said again and smiled. She was glad that Santana liked one of her closest friends. "She's a good person", Quinn said. She was happy to have Rachel in her life.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So, did you have a good time today?" Quinn asked Santana as they entered the apartment. They had walked the mile and a half home from the festival. It was just after dark.

"Um, yeah. It was fun", Santana said.

Quinn closed the door and then looked at her girlfriend. "Is everything okay, hon? You've been awfully quiet since you talked with Rachel about whatever you guys talked about."

"I'm okay", Santana said. She sighed and sat on the couch.

Quinn knew something was wrong. "Hon, what is it?" she asked, as she sat down beside her. "Talk to me."

Santana started to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat.

"San, what is it?" Quinn coaxed. She took one of Santana's hands in hers and rubbed Santana's back with her free hand.

"I talked with Kitty today", Santana said, as tears started to form in her eyes.

"And…?" Quinn prompted.

"Sh-sh-she was mean to me", Santana said.

Quinn felt a flash of anger run through her. "What did she say, hon?"

"Sh-sh-she said that you and I don't have a future together."

"Wait –w-w-what?" Quinn said, not quite sure what she had just heard.

"She said you and I don't have a future together."

Quinn started to get up. She was going to grab her phone and call Kitty, but her practical side kicked in, and she sat back down. She needed a little more information before she made the call. "Okay, and why did she say that?"

"She said that you and I don't have anything in common, and that you're better off making it to the top of the marketing world with her than being in a relationship with me." Santana was silent for a second, and then said, "Quinn?"

"Yeah hon?" Quinn asked, expectant and attentive.

"D-d-do you really want to be with me?"

Quinn looked at Santana for a moment and then pulled her in for a hug. "Of course I do, hon." She released the hug and looked into Santana's eyes. "Why would you even ask that?"

"B-b-because, sometimes I think that, you'd rather be with someone more like you…like…like…like", it hurt Santana to say it, but she forced it out anyway, "like Kitty".

"Awww, hon. Noooo. What makes you even say that?"

"Because you spend all of your time with her. And because you guys have so much in common. I mean, you're both smart, and motivated, and you both love marketing, and you grew up in nice suburbs, and you both went to college, and…I don't know…maybe you're just better off with someone like that…like maybe I'm just getting in your way of succeeding…or something…" Santana trailed off, tears running down her cheeks.

"Awww, hon, please…" Quinn said, wiping tears from Santana's face. Seeing Santana cry made Quinn start to cry, and she felt a tear trickle down her own face.

"S-s-sometimes I just wonder if I'm good enough for you…if you really want to be with me", Santana croaked out and looked down.

Quinn took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eye. Up until now, she hadn't realized just how much Santana was struggling, and how much her own absence had negatively affected their relationship. Thinking about that made her want to burst into full-on tears, but she stifled her emotions and put on a brave face. I need to be strong, she thought to herself. She lifted Santana's chin with her thumb and forefinger and took one of Santana's hands in her free hand.

"Santana – I love you. I didn't realize that me working so much had put such strain on you, and I'm sorry. I didn't realize that Kitty had rubbed you so much the wrong way, and I'm sorry about that too." She paused, gave Santana a kiss, wiped another tear from her face, and continued. "Look – this pitch is next week. I just have a few more days to go, and then I will be done. And, after I am done, I will talk with my boss about lightening my workload. I will even take a lower position if it means spending more time with you. Also, if me working with Kitty bothers you so much, I will request that I not work with her. You know that I think she and I work well together, but again, if it really bothers you that much, then I will request a different partner at work."

Santana looked at Quinn for a moment and then said, "Th-th-thank you, baby."

"Look, hon", Quinn said. "I want you to be happy here. I know things haven't started out here the way either you or I wanted them to, but I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy together. But, please – just hang in there with me for a few more days. This project is almost over. The presentation is on Thursday - five days away. After that I will be done, and then we can talk about what to do with us, to give us the best relationship possible, okay?"

Quinn smiled, and Santana smiled back. She looked at Quinn for a moment and then said, "Okay. If you really love me, and you really want to be with me, then of course I will wait until your project is done. But, I want you to know that I do need things to get better. I need you to be around more. I need to feel like this city is home for me." She looked Quinn right in the eyes and said, "I really want to feel at home here, but right now I just don't."

Quinn took a deep breath and then said, "I understand, hon. I really do. And I want you to know that, even though I've been super busy and haven't been around as much as we would both like, I think about you all the time, and I haven't forgotten that you came here for me. I want you to feel like this is home, too. And", Quinn said, "if, after this project is over, and things calm down for me at work, and we talk – if after all that, time goes by and you still don't feel like this city is home…well, then…as I said before, we can talk about other options."

Santana smiled a bit and then nodded in agreement. Quinn smiled back and then pulled her in for a hug. "I love you so much, Santana. I love you, and I love that you moved here for me, and I appreciate you putting up with my crazy schedule."

"I love you too, baby", Santana said. She pulled back out of the hug and looked Quinn right in the eyes. "I just want us to be happy, like we were in Hawaii."

Quinn looked at Santana and then planted the gentlest kiss on her lips. "I want us to be happy too, hon", she said. Santana smiled and then returned the kiss.

"So, do you want me to call Kitty?" Quinn asked.

Santana sighed. "No, it's okay. I just…right now, I just want you to hold me."

Quinn smiled and gave Santana another kiss. "Of course, hon", she said. She laid back on the couch, took Santana into her arms, and they stayed like that for the rest of the night.


	23. Chapter 23

Thanks as always for the feedback. As usual, some thoughts from me.

I received some feedback from people who said that, in the last chapter, Santana didn't react or behave the way they had expected her to. As I have mentioned before, this story is AU, and I have also mentioned before that I will be playing with the characters, as well as places and things, and those may run the gamut from true to life/true to the canonical world of Glee to only having a vague resemblance. If you want a story that is not as much AU and the characters do not go OOC as much, then may I refer you to my first story, "Coming Home" which comes right out of "I Do" and keeps the characters much more true to the canonical world of Glee. Believe me – I am fully aware of when I take characters OOC, as well as when I bend reality in the AU world of this story.

To that point, I do not put a disclaimer that this story is AU/OOC before every chapter. Again, this is only my second story for FF, so if doing so is best practice, or if I should be calling that (or anything else) out somewhere else, please let me know. Having said that, though, I will say this: Based on the reviews I read for the last chapter, I have a feeling that some readers are not reading the entire story, including my notes before each chapter, and are therefore commenting without having a complete picture. I will tell you now that this is _**NOT**_ a story with which the reader can come in part way through. You have to read the whole story, and you should read my notes before each chapter. For those who have read this story from the beginning, you can attest to the fact that this is a more involved story, so you really do need to follow it from the beginning. Also, if you have followed the story from the beginning, you know that many of the characters have been OOC to some degree throughout the whole story. To that point, the character who is OOC the most is actually Santana, and she has been throughout much of the story. Much of her character in this story is in contrast with her actual character in the canonical world of Glee. While I preserved some of Santana's character from the show (her spontaneous nature and deep desire to find true love, among other characteristics), I altered some of her character to fit the story. For example, remember that, in this story, Santana is not from Lima Heights, so she can't really go "Lima Heights" on anyone. If Santana's character in this story was true to her character on the show, she most likely would have kicked Kitty's ass back when they met in Chapter 17. Also, in this story, Santana is from Hawaii (by way of San Antonio), and therefore exhibits characteristics that are more archetypal of someone from Hawaii (ie. she exhibits characteristics that the general populace associate with people from Hawaii, such as being kind, generally happy, non-confrontational, etc.), than of someone from, say, Lima Heights. Also, in this story, Santana is not just Latina. She may be a mix of Latina, Spanish, Filipina, and Hawaiian (I left her exact ethnicity undetermined, and fortunately Naya's look can accommodate multiple ethnicities). Again, this really is _**NOT**_ a story that you can pick up part way through, but, if for some reason, you are unable to immerse yourself in the whole story from the beginning, then I highly advise that you at least read my author's notes at the top of each chapter. That will at least give you a perspective of where this story is coming from.

Also, I have received a bunch of feedback from readers who are unhappy that Santana seems to be catching the shaft in this story. For sure, she is getting the short end of the stick, and it sucks (and, believe me, it is sometimes painful for me to write). I am aware of her plight. However, as I mentioned previously, in Coming Home, Santana's actions were more of the driving force, so in this story I decided to make Quinn's actions more of the driving force. In Coming Home, it was Quinn who caught the shaft more due to Santana's actions, so I thought that for this story it would be interesting to switch it up and make it Santana who catches the shaft more due to Quinn's actions.

Lastly – for sure, the drama is building. Two thoughts on that: As I have stated previously, I realize that some of the happenings in this story may be exaggerated or a little unrealistic. My belief is that exaggeration and suspension of disbelief can assist in elevating drama, and that the greater the drama, the greater the satisfaction when it resolves. Much of our enjoyment from stories comes from the buildup of tension and then the release of that tension. Also, as I mentioned before, I like to create realistic stories, but I also love Hollywood endings. And yes, to reiterate once again, this story will have a happy with Quinntana as endgame. One last thing: I won't tell you exactly when the shiznit is going to hit the fan, since I don't want to spoil the fun, but I know many of you are wondering exactly when that is going to happen, so I will tell you that it will happen soon. Like, very soon.

As always, I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 23

Quinn was checking emails when Kitty knocked on her door. It was Monday morning, and Quinn had asked Kitty to come to her office right away.

"Hey", Kitty said. "You ready to get started? We're almost done. We're so close", she said with a smile and held her index finger and thumb an inch apart.

"Hey Kitty, come on in and close the door."

Kitty shut the door and took a seat at the front of Quinn's desk. "What's up, Quinn? Everything alright?" Kitty asked.

"Look, Kitty", Quinn began. "I want to talk to you about something". After Quinn had talked with Santana, she was prepared to call Kitty right away, but Santana had said it was okay. Also, Quinn preferred to discuss important matters face to face if possible, and this was an important matter. Plus, Quinn knew that she, Kitty and Santana had all drank a few beers each at the festival, and she thought it would be best to have this conversation sober. "So, I usually don't bring personal matters into the office, but Santana told me that you guys talked at the festival two days ago, and, well, she seemed upset. She told me that you were mean to her, that you insulted her, and that you told her that there was no future for me and her, so I have to know – is that what you really said?"

"What?" Kitty said, sounding surprised. "No, not at all", she lied.

"Well, what did you say?" Quinn asked. "I mean, she was pretty upset when we got home from the festival, so if you said something to upset her, that's not cool."

Kitty thought for a moment and then said, "Look, all we were talking about is the fact that we have to share you. I mean, honestly, I may have come off a bit self-interested, but I wasn't trying to offend Santana, and I'm sorry if I did."

Quinn stared at Kitty. This was probably the first time she had ever heard an apology come out of Kitty's mouth. "Thanks, Kitty, I appreciate it."

"Look", Kitty continued, "I know that her being here is a big adjustment for you, and it's a big adjustment for her. But, it's also a big adjustment for me, too. I know she's getting used to you being in your everyday life and working a lot or whatever, but I'm getting used to you having to split time between me and her, too. And", Kitty continued, "I'm also getting use to you dividing your focus as well."

"I understand, Kitty. I mean, I understand that it's an adjustment for all of us", Quinn said. "But, I need to know – did you say anything offensive to her?"

Kitty thought for another moment and then answered. "Honestly, I don't remember", Kitty lied again. "I mean, I had a couple beers, and, well, look, Quinn – you know me. I'm passionate. I'm a passionate person, and I care about our relationship. You and I are working to make it to the top, and that's important to me, and I know that's important to you too. So, I know my passion gets in the way of my tact sometimes. I know there are times when I come off as abrasive, and I'm sorry. Please tell Santana that I didn't mean to offend her."

"Thanks again", Quinn said and smiled.

Kitty smiled back. "Look, Quinn - regardless of how I come off, the bottom line is that we are a good team. We both know that. We work well together. And it's hard to find people that you work well with. That's why I'm so passionate about us. It's because I care about our future together, and I know we can do great things. I mean, look at what we've done for Digitalworks in the two years we've been together. We won the Chase account for this agency. We've grown billings for the Target account 300%. We helped to win the BMW and the Jewel-Osco accounts, among everything else we've done as well. We're good together. I mean, I've worked with hundreds of people, and you're the best partner I've ever had, and I don't want to throw that away. And I know you share that same feeling about me. I mean, how many people have you worked with?"

"I don't know. Hundreds, I suppose", Quinn answered.

"And who's the best partner you've ever had?"

"You are. You already know that."

"Right. That's my point", Kitty said. "We're good together, and we know it, and we're destined for great things, and I just don't want anything to get in the way of us getting to the top."

Quinn exhaled and smiled slightly as she listened to Kitty talk. Kitty was a good talker. This was the Kitty that won business for the agency. This was the Kitty that smoothed things over with their existing clients when things weren't going well. This was the Kitty that made people like Shelby and the executive staff believe that she was capable of handling large, important accounts. She could be smooth and convincing when she wanted to be. It was times like this when Quinn straddled the line in her thoughts of really believing that Kitty was a good person who cared, versus believing that Kitty would bury the marching band to get to the top. But, she couldn't deny that there was an attraction to Kitty's passion and determination. Plus, Quinn had to admit – they were a damn good team. She smiled wider at Kitty and said, "Thanks, Kitty. I appreciate the talk. As long as you're cool with Santana from here on out, I am good." Kitty nodded her head, and Quinn said, "Let's just finalize this presentation and bring it on home." Quinn wanted to tell Kitty that after this project she would be looking for another position, which would mean another partner, but, since the pitch was only three days away, she decided to save that conversation until after the pitch was over.

"Great." Kitty smiled and stood up. "I'll assemble the team in the north conference room to review the latest capabilities presentation and creative." She started to walk out of Quinn's office, and as she got to the door, she paused and looked back. "We're almost there, Quinn. We're almost there."

Quinn smiled and nodded, then went back to her never ending stack of emails.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was surfing the internet. Actually, she was looking at something specific when her phone rang. It was a bit after 6pm. She picked it up. It was Quinn.

"Hey Q", she said.

"Hey, hon. How's your day going?"

"Good. How is yours?"

"It's good. I'm calling because I'm actually going to be off at a reasonable hour tonight, and I wanted to see if you'd be able to wait to eat dinner so we could eat together, maybe around eight or so?"

"Um, that sounds great, but, um, I actually have to work tonight."

"Oh", Quinn said. "I didn't think you worked on Monday's."

"Um, well, I usually don't, but they asked me to come in tonight."

"Oh, well that's too bad. I may not get another evening off until Thursday, after the pitch."

"Oh. Bummer. Well, sorry", Santana said.

"It's okay, hon. If you have to work, you have to work. You know that I of all people understand that", Quinn said lightheartedly, and Santana managed a small laugh of agreement. "Well, in that case, I'll stay late at the office tonight and try to get ahead, so maybe I can get off earlier on Tuesday or Wednesday."

"Uh, okay. That sounds good. Well, uh, have a good night."

"Okay, hon. Have a good night at work."

"Um, you too."

"I love you."

"Love you too." Santana hung up the phone, then went back to the internet and scribbled something on a piece of paper.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana got off the L and looked around the street. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, and then looked at the building in front of her. I think this is the place, she said to herself, as she spotted the sign above a double door entrance. It was a little after 8pm. She walked into the club and looked around. It was large and cavernous, with a long bar on the side and a big stage at the far end. Apparently this is one of the best live music venues in the city, according to the venue's website, hosting the hottest local bands in the city as well as up-and-coming national touring acts.

"Hey you!" Santana looked over and saw Tina walking towards her. She was dressed pretty much the same as she had been when she had performed at Mother's two weeks ago, but Santana thought that her skirt was just a little shorter tonight, and that she may have dialed up the makeup a notch. She walked up to Santana and gave her a kiss on the cheek, not quite touching her lips, but almost.

Santana returned the gesture. "Hi", she said, almost shyly.

"Hi", Tina returned. "I'm so glad you could make it", she said, smiling broadly."

"Yeah, I got the night off. I mean, it's a Monday, and we're usually pretty slow at the bar early in the week." Santana didn't actually have to work tonight. She had told Quinn she had to work because she wanted to see Tina's play. She felt kind of bad, since, as it turned out, Quinn actually ended up being free tonight, but then a part of her thought, Quinn hasn't been around for dinner for a lot of nights when I have been free. Surely I can take one night to myself, even though she is free. Plus, she will be done with this project soon, and then we will have much more time together. And, for some reason, Santana continued thinking, I just really want to see Tina tonight. After talking with Quinn on the phone, Santana had eaten a quick dinner, then had hopped in the shower, thrown on a black dress and a pair of four inch heels, done her makeup for a night out at a club, and then jumped on the L to the Wicker Park neighborhood to find Double Door. She had been looking at Double Door's website when Quinn had called earlier, and she tried to remember if she had closed the browser on the laptop that the two of them shared. She was pretty sure that she had.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm so glad you could come", Tina said.

"I'm glad I could make it, too." Santana looked around. "Nice crowd, for a Monday."

"Thanks", Tina said. "This is our first show here, and we promoted really hard. You have to start playing on the weekdays here if you are a local band and work your way up to the weekends, so we're trying to make a good impression tonight."

"Well, I'm sure you will do just that", Santana said, with a smile.

Tina smiled back. "So…are you here alone…or...is your girlfriend here, too?"

"No, she's not here. I came alone", Santana said.

"Oh, okay", Tina said, trying to contain the fact that she was excited that Santana had come alone. "And…how is everything with you guys? And how is everything with just you, too?"

"Things are okay, thanks", Santana said. She was glad that she and Quinn had talked a couple nights ago, but she also didn't want to get into it with Tina. There was just something about Tina that made Santana not want to talk about Quinn. Yes, they had talked the first night they had met about Quinn, and about Tina's ex, but right now, Santana thought, I just don't want to talk about Quinn with her. Maybe it was because Tina was really sweet and cute in a rock n' roll way. Or maybe it was the fact that Tina was the one person who Santana knew that Quinn hadn't introduced her to, besides Santana's co-workers from the bar, with whom Santana hadn't really become friends. Well, whatever it was, there was just something that made Santana want to keep Tina in some way all to herself, and all by herself, and that meant not talking with Tina about Quinn. Tina would be a Quinn-free zone, and Santana just wanted to enjoy being here with Tina by herself.

Tina could tell that Santana didn't want to continue on that subject. She was a caring person, and she wanted things to go well for Santana, regardless of how that happened. But, in this moment, the joy that she felt over Santana being here at her show alone overshadowed her caring about how Santana and her girlfriend's relationship was going, so she dropped the subject. "Well, good to hear", Tina said, and then, in a move that was bold for her, she grabbed Santana's hand and said, "C'mon. I'll buy you a drink."

"But, I thought you didn't drink when you played", Santana said as she felt Tina's fingers trying to link with hers.

"I don't", Tina said and smiled. "I said I would buy _you _a drink."

Santana looked at Tina for a moment, then smiled and said, "That would be great, thanks". She linked her fingers with Tina's and followed her to the bar.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, what did you think?" Tina said to Santana as she jumped offstage. Santana had been standing on Tina's side of the stage, a few rows back. She had stared at Tina the entire performance. Tina had glanced at Santana a number of times from the stage and smiled. Santana had heard a couple people around her say something to the effect of, "The bass player is _hot_", and she couldn't disagree.

"It was great", Santana said. "You guys are really good. And", she said and smiled almost shyly, "I really enjoy watching _you_ perform."

"Awww…thank you", Tina said, and almost blushed. "Hey – do you want another drink? I'm ready for one, and I think we may actually have some free drinks backstage. Do you-", Tina started and then paused, wondering if what she was going to say next might be construed as being too forward. She decided to go with it anyway. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Backstage, huh?" Santana said and raised an eyebrow. "Is that where the 'magic' happens for you rock stars?"

"Noooo, it's not like that", Tina said, a bit embarrassed. She smiled and blushed.

Santana laughed. "I'm just giving you a hard time. I'd love to see the backstage."

Tina laughed, and then took Santana's hand again and led her towards the backstage area.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, thanks for coming tonight", Tina said. It was 2am. The bands were finishing loading out and the club was closing up. Santana and Tina were standing just outside the front door of the club.

"You're welcome. It was fun", Santana said.

"So…are you okay to get home?" Tina asked.

"Uh, yeah. I can just take the L, or take a cab, or something. Wait – how are you getting home? And where is your car?"

"Actually, I'm just going to walk home. I live like three blocks from here. The guys are taking my stuff in the band van", Tina said, and motioned to a van sitting on the curb. "Thanks, Mike!" She called out. Mike, the lead singer, also Asian, raised his hand, busted an impromptu dance move in the street, then jumped in the van and drove off.

"Oh. That's convenient. Well, in that case, you should play here more often", Santana said and smiled. Tina smiled back. "So…um…since you live so close…do you want me to, um…walk you home?" Santana asked.

Tina paused, then said, "Yeah. That'd be great." She turned to walk and then paused and held out her hand for Santana to take. Santana paused for a second, and Tina thought, Did I just overstep my boundaries? Then Santana smiled and took Tina's hand. Tina smiled back and they started off together. They walked for a few blocks, and then Tina halted them at a large wooden duplex on a quiet side street.

"Nice place", Santana said.

"Thanks. I live in the back, through that gate", she pointed to small gate that lead to a walkway, "It's a small studio coach house. It's kind of like a small cottage."

Santana laughed. "I used to live in something just like that, when I was living in Hawaii."

"Really? That's cool. Did you like it?"

"Yeah, I did", Santana said. "You?"

"Yeah, I do. I mean, it's small, but it's just me living there, so I can come and go as I please without waking anyone up." Tina paused for a moment, and then looked Santana shyly in the eye. "D-d-do you want to come in?"

Santana paused. What is going on here with me? She thought. What am I doing? She looked at Tina. Yes, I do want to go in, but no, I'm not going to. Yes, Tina is sweet and cute, but I love Quinn, and Quinn loves me, and even though things aren't great right now, they will be soon, and I told Quinn I would be patient and give her the time she needed until she finishes the project she is working on, which should be done in two days. Yes, a part of me wants to go in, but no, I'm not going to. Santana was still holding Tina's hand, and she turned to face Tina and took her other hand. She exhaled and said, "I do…but I shouldn't." She gave Tina a sad smile.

Tina sighed but smiled slightly. "It's okay. I get it. And I'm sorry if I keep crossing lines, or whatever. I mean, I know you have a girlfriend, but I-"

"No, no, no – it's not you. I mean, you're so sweet, and you're totally cute, and I had a really great time tonight", Santana said. Tina had given Santana her undivided attention all night long, getting all of her drinks and making sure she was having a good time. "I just…I just need to figure out what I am doing with myself, and with my girlfriend."

"I understand", Tina said. "Well, thanks again for coming tonight."

"Thank you for having me, and for all of the drinks, and for a wonderful time." Santana smiled.

Tina smiled back. "Well, um…good luck with everything, and…well...I hope to see you again, um, sometime soon."

Santana smiled for a moment longer, then leaned in and kissed Tina on the lips. Tina stayed pressed with her for just a moment, and then Santana broke away.

"Bye", Santana said softly.

"Bye", Tina said.

Santana looked at her for a moment longer, then let go of her hands, turned around and walked down the street back towards the L station. Tina stared at her until she turned the corner, then smiled and went through the gate to her cottage.


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for all of the reviews. As usual, some thought from me.

I know some of you were perplexed at Santana's actions in the last chapter. All I can say again is, adult humans are complex beings, and we live in a complex world. When you take complex people and put them into an unsettling situation, well…let's just say that they may do things they wouldn't normally do. At the very least, they may be confused about what to do or how they feel, and that may cause them to behave in ways that they normally wouldn't. Also, again, I am trying to straddle the line between writing a realistic story (and, as we all know, in real life, no one's perfect) and trying to plus it up with just enough Hollywood magic, so again, some of the happenings in the story may be either a bit unbelievable (as in, the reader may say "I can't believe that so-and-so did that!) or exaggerated (as in, the reader may say, "That would never happen!"). But again, I think it makes for good story. In addition, I will say that everything in this story happens for a reason. And remember, sometimes it's easier to see things on the outside looking in, than when you are in the situation yourself. So, if I may, let me give you my perspective on Santana: She took a huge chance and moved all the way across the world to be with Quinn, only to find that life isn't as good as she thought it would be. She's unhappy and possibly feels let down, like maybe Quinn hasn't lived up to her promise, and even though Quinn has promised her that things will be better soon, Santana has been dealing with things failing to live up to her expectations since she moved to Chicago. Santana is in love with Quinn, and she believes Quinn is in love with her. She wants to believe Quinn when Quinn says that things will get better, but just because Quinn says things are going to get better doesn't mean that Santana is automatically going to believe that 100%, since she has no proof of that, given her experience thus far. Now, Santana meets Tina, with whom she connects on multiple levels, and, on top of that, Tina is the one person who Santana does not associate with Quinn. She is the one person who Santana can look at without thinking about Quinn and everything that goes along with the whole Quinn situation, which has pretty much consumed Santana's thoughts since she moved to Chicago. Now, having said all that, I ask you: what would you have done if you were Santana? I'm honesty curious, and all constructive responses are welcome.

Along the lines of how the characters behave, I will say this: I appreciate all of the constructive feedback, even the feedback that questions what is happening in the story. It keeps me honest when it comes to making sure that, despite my love of Hollywood, the characters and action don't wander too far astray from leading to a Quinntana ending (yes, that's still the goal, sorry Santina fans). Also, regarding feedback, I really love a lot of the ideas that I have read from you all, and I will tell you that, although the overall story will not change, since I have pretty much had it done for a while, I do try to incorporate some of the smaller ideas that you give me wherever I can. In addition, I will tell you two other things: One, I am not a professional writer, and two, the second half of the story has been tougher to write than the first half of the story (having them meet and fall for each other was the easy part). Anyway, the point is that I thank you for all of the constructive suggestions and ideas. They really are helpful and appreciated.

Now, I know I always say this, but this really may be the last update for a day or two.

Two last things:

One - I don't have Tumblr.

Two - Be prepared if you paddle out today. I went out earlier today, and it was rough.

Chapter 24

Santana woke up around noon the next day. She wandered into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee, and she noticed another note from Quinn:

_Good morning, beautiful!_

_I hope you had a good night at work_

_last night. Bummer we couldn't have_

_dinner together. I think it will be another_

_late one for me at the office today, so_

_unfortunately I won't be home for dinner_

_tonight. Sorry hon. But the good news is,_

_I'm almost done. I'm going to try to push_

_hard tonight so I can maybe get off at_

_a decent hour on Wed night. And then_

_the pitch is on Thurs. Just 2 more days!_

_Then I'm all yours. Have a great day!_

_Love you,_

_XOXO, Q_

Santana read the note and smiled. For the last week, Quinn had been leaving notes every day that she left before Santana woke up. She has been making an effort, Santana thought, in as much as she can right now. Santana read the note again and thought about how much better things will be once Quinn was done with her project. Then she thought about how she had skipped having dinner with Quinn last night to go see Tina perform, and even though Quinn had told Santana last minute that she was free, and even though Santana had been thinking about seeing Tina last night for the last two weeks, she still felt a pang of remorse. It was stupid, Santana thought. Well, Tina wasn't stupid, but me going to see Tina was stupid. Why did I go? she thought to herself. All I've wanted for the last two months is to see more of Quinn, and then when she calls and tells me she's free, I decide to lie to her so I can see someone else. I just don't get it, she thought. I'm kind of confused. She thought about how Quinn would have felt if she had known the truth, that Santana had gone to see another woman instead of going to work, and a feeling of guilt started welling up in her stomach. Even though things haven't been great since I got here, and even thought for some reason I'm drawn to Tina, possibly because she's the only entity here that's not a part of Quinn's world, it was stupid of me to go, Santana thought. She had been selfish, and she was feeling guilty and remorseful. She picked up the note and carried it with her to the couch. She sat down and turned on the laptop that was sitting on the coffee table. She drank her coffee and looked at surf cams covering some of the beaches in Hawaii. She finished her coffee twenty minutes later and decided to go for a run. She did some stretching, and then put on her jogging shorts, a tank top and some running shoes, and headed out the door.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was looking at surf cams again on the laptop on the coffee table when her phone buzzed. It was just after 7pm. She picked it up. It was a text from her manager, Will, from the bar:

Will: No need to come in tonight. Will be slow. Take tonight off.

Santana texted back:

Santana: Okay, thanks, will do.

Cool, Santana thought. I don't have to work. It would have been slow anyway. She put down her phone and happened to notice the sticky note that Quinn had wrote her earlier. She read it again and smiled. Then she thought about Quinn working late tonight, and she felt bad. She thought again about how she skipped out on dinner with Quinn last night to go to Tina's show, and she felt even worse, and then she thought about how a part of her had wanted to go into Tina's coach house at 2am, and, even though she didn't end up doing that, the thought of that made her feel even worse. Santana sat and stared for a minute at the note. She knew that Quinn missed her and thought about her when she was at work. She believed Quinn when she said that she couldn't wait for this project to be over so she could start spending more time with Santana. I was an idiot last night, Santana thought. Even though Quinn doesn't know, I feel guilty, and I need to do something to make up for it. As she read the note one more time a thought crossed her mind. Santana looked at her phone, then picked it up, went into the kitchen to get something, and dialed a number.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn and Kitty were sitting in Quinn's office. It was just after 8pm. They had worked with the team all day to do their second-to-final run-through of their presentation, and now they were putting the finishing touches on the materials and assembling them into final decks. Tomorrow the team would perform their final run-through. The pitch was 36 hours away. Ten million dollars worth of business on the line. Kitty had insisted on dress rehearsals today and tomorrow, to get everyone in the right frame of mind, so both she and Quinn were in business suits, Quinn's a charcoal grey and Kitty's a dark navy blue.

Quinn finished assembling another one of the final decks and then stacked it on top of the others. She put her hands in her head and said, "Ugh. What a long day."

"It's been a long two months", Kitty said. She looked at Quinn, and Quinn nodded in agreement. "Hey, I have to get something from my office. I'll be right back." Kitty got up and walked next door to her office. Quinn continued to assemble the final materials when she heard Kitty come back. She looked up and saw Kitty carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Oh, Kitty", Quinn sighed with a smile. She wanted a drink, but for some reason she couldn't quite put a finger on, she was wary of drinking with Kitty, especially when they were alone.

"Come on, Quinn. You said it yourself – it's been a long day", Kitty said, as she opened the bottle and poured two glasses. She handed one to Quinn, who paused.

"I-I-I don't know, Kitty. I mean, I kind of could use a drink, but I think I'm okay."

"Come on, Quinn", Kitty said again. "Look – we're in a good place with this project. We've busted our asses on this damn thing. Let's take the edge off just a bit." She held the glass out and raised her eyebrows. "Just one glass", she said. Quinn smiled, relented, and took the glass.

"Thanks Kitty", Quinn said. Kitty held up her glass and Quinn did the same. They clinked glasses and started in.

Kitty walked over to the window. She stared out at the view for a few seconds and then said, "Quinn – come here."

"What?" Quinn said, putting the final deck of their presentation together.

Kitty looked over at Quinn and smiled slightly. "Just take a break for a second and come here", Kitty said. Quinn put down the binder, stood up and walked over to the window with her glass of wine. She stood right next to Kitty, shoulder to shoulder, and they both looked out onto the sweeping view of the Loop, bathed in nighttime lights.

"Look at this view", Kitty said. "It's awesome, isn't it?"

"It's great", Quinn agreed.

"In two days, we're going to win this pitch. In two years, we will have won more pitches. In ten years, we're going to rule this city. You and me. We're going to rule this damn city."

Quinn continued to look out at the view. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to climb to the top anymore, and right about now all she could think about was getting done with this project so she could get a full night's sleep and spend some time with Santana, but she didn't want to get into all of that so close to the pitch, so she held that in. "Yeah", was all she said.

Kitty stared out the window for a few more seconds, and then turned to Quinn. They stood less than a foot away from each other. Kitty looked Quinn in the eyes and said, "We're such a good team, Quinn." Quinn smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. Then Kitty smiled and stepped a bit closer. "Look at us", Kitty said. "Quite the power couple."

"Kitty…", Quinn said.

"Think about it, Quinn. We could rule this city together. And I don't just mean together, but, like, _together._ Two smart, hot, ambitious women, together, at the top. We'd be on every marketing magazine cover there is. We'd be the hottest thing since sliced bread." Kitty smiled at Quinn. She took a sip of her wine, and with her free hand she reached up slowly and fingered the collar of Quinn's suit. They were standing close, less than six inches apart.

Quinn started to take a step back and said, "Wait, Kitty, I don't think this i-" Quinn was about to say "is appropriate", when Kitty quickly leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Quinn paused for a second, shocked. She was about to back up, but the little bit of wine she'd already drunk had dulled her reflexes, and she was a second too slow. She was about to pull away from Kitty and say "What the hell", when she heard someone say, "Oh my God". She looked up towards her office door, and there was Santana, standing in the doorway. She was holding a takeout bag of food from the Thai place near the office. She had come to the office to surprise Quinn with dinner, and had instead caught her girlfriend and the one woman she despised in a lip lock, dressed up in their power suits, holding glasses of wine.

"Santana", Quinn said in shock.

"Oh my God", Santana said again, in a voice barely more than a whisper. Her voice had disappeared. The bag of food dropped to the floor. Santana's face twisted into a mix of shock, disbelief and hurt. Then she let out a wail, turned around, and ran back towards the elevators.

"Wait! Santana!" Quinn yelled after her. She started to run after her, but Kitty grabbed her arm.

"Just let her go, Quinn", Kitty said.

Quinn whirled around to face Kitty. "What the hell, Kitty? What do you mean, 'let her go'?"

"I mean, 'just let her go'", Kitty repeated.

"God damn it, Kitty, that's my girlfriend!"

"I should be your girlfriend, Quinn!" Kitty got right in Quinn's face. "You and I! Together! We're perfect for each other!" Kitty pointed towards the door where Santana had been standing. "What can she give you that I can't, huh? God damn it, Quinn, why can't you see that that dumb hula dancing bitch is fucking worthless!?"

Something snapped in Quinn. Connected and snapped at the same time, and in the second that it all came together, she reached back and decked Kitty. It wasn't so much of a slap as an open handed punch. Quinn hit Kitty as hard as she could, her right hand solidly connecting with Kitty's left cheek. The crack of the blow echoed down the empty hall outside of Quinn's office. Kitty flew against the window, and there was a loud thud as Kitty's head bounced off the heavy glass. Quinn glared at her for a second as Kitty slumped down onto the floor in a mixture of shock, pain and fear. Then Quinn turned around and ran after Santana as fast as her heels would allow.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana ran to the elevator and pressed the down button. It seemed to take forever to arrive. She jumped in the elevator car and frantically pushed the close door button. Finally, the elevator doors closed and the car started to descend. It seemed to take forever to reach the ground floor. Finally, the door opened, and Santana ran out of the building onto the street.

After she had received the text from work telling her that she was off, she had gotten the idea to surprise Quinn at her office with dinner. She knew Quinn was skipping meals and eating erratically, and she thought that Quinn seeing her face would cheer Quinn up. She had let herself into the main office area with the keycard that Quinn had given her and navigated her way to Quinn's office. She had smiled as she picked up the food, imagining the way Quinn's face would light up when she saw that her patient, understanding and loving girlfriend had brought her dinner. Never in a million years would Santana have thought that she would arrive at Quinn's office to find Quinn lip locked with, of all people, the one person in this town who she really didn't like. Santana stood on the street outside Quinn's office building, bawling hard, tears streaming down her face. She had no idea what to do. She was heartbroken and shattered. Her whole world was unraveling. This can't be really happening, she thought. How could Quinn do this to me? After I moved here to be with her, and after how patient and understanding I've been the last two months since I got here, how could she do this to me?

"Santana!"

Santana whirled around to see Quinn running out of the building. She went to yell at Quinn, but the sound stuck in her throat.

"Santana, please listen to me", Quinn said, as she approached Santana.

"Get away from me!" Santana yelled, finally able to get words out.

"San", Quinn said. "It wasn't what it looked like." She reached out to touch Santana.

"Don't touch me!" Santana yelled and recoiled back.

"San, please, just listen to me", Quinn pleaded.

"How could you, Quinn!" Santana yelled, more of a statement than a question.

"San, please listen to me. Kitty jumped me. She jumped _me._ I had no idea she was going to do that."

"Is that what you've been doing, working late all of these nights?" Santana asked, still yelling. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Hon, please. I had no part in that. Sh-sh-she came onto me right as you came to the door, and I was just about to push her away, right as you saw us."

"Bullshit!" Santana yelled.

"Hon, please-"

"Don't call me hon!"

Quinn went again to touch Santana. "San, please, just listen to me."

"No!" Santana exploded. "I'm done listening! It's your turn to listen!" She pointed at Quinn. Quinn just stood there, so Santana rolled on. "I have been miserable, Quinn. I fucking hate it here!"

"San, please, you don't mean that", Quinn said. Seeing Santana this upset made tears well up in her eyes too.

"I hate that you haven't been around. I hate that I haven't made any real friends in this city. The only people I know are the people you've introduced me to. The people here aren't nice. I hate that your mom thinks I'm a loser, and I hate that I don't even have a job I like. And then, you…with _her,_ of all people!" Santana yelled, pointing up to the office building. "You _know_ I don't like her. How could you, Quinn!?" Santana was yelling. She wasn't naturally a yeller, and she didn't often swear, but seeing Quinn and Kitty lip locked had been the straw that broke the camel's back, and everything was now boiling over and rushing out.

"San, please…I'm so sorry."

Santana lowered her voice but was no less upset. "I came here to start over. To start over with you. I thought we would have a future together. I took a chance on coming here, and I thought that being here with you would overshadow the pain that I had left here when I moved to Hawaii all those years ago. But now you've brought it all back. You've brought pain back into my life. You've broken my heart. And now I have nothing."

"San, that's not true", Quinn pleaded. You have me. You have me, and you will _always_ have me."

"Bullshit! Kitty has you. I just saw you two together!"

"San, I just told you, she jumped me. I had nothing to do with that. I was going to push her away from me and read her the riot act. You just happened to see us right at the moment she jumped me." Quinn took another step towards Santana. Santana backed up and put her hand up. "San, I promise you – I don't have feelings for her, at all."

"But she obviously has feelings for you. How could you not see that? How could you not know?"

Quinn thought for a moment and then said, "San, I can't help it if she has feelings for me."

"But you can help make it so you're not around her. And you _can_ help being there for me!" Santana pointed at Quinn. "You haven't been there for me, Quinn. I put my whole life on hold for you when you were in Hawaii."

"San, I will be done with this project in two days, and then I will have more time", Quinn said. "Look, I'm telling you, I don't have feelings for Kitty. I'm in love with _you_. _You_, Santana Lopez."

"How do I know, Quinn? I mean, you and Kitty…you both grew up rich, went to college, work a job you both love, you spend all your time together. It's like, you guys are perfect for each other, and I'm…" Santana paused and looked down. "I'm just the dumb souvenir that you brought back from your trip to Hawaii."

"Hon, noooo", Quinn said, her heart breaking. Tears were streaming out of her eyes now as well. "You're not the souvenir I brought back from Hawaii. You're the woman I fell in love with, who I asked to move here, so we could be together."

"But we're not together, Quinn! Don't you see that? You spend all your time with that bitch. I never see you", Santana said. "I took a huge chance and made a huge change in my life to come here, and all I asked is for you to be there for me, to make me feel at home here, just like I was there for you and did for you when you were in Hawaii."

"San, look, I know I haven't been around as much as you want me to be – as much as I want me to be. But, I'm working for _us_. I've been working to give _both of us_ a secure future."

"But this isn't a future I want, Quinn! I don't want to be with someone who works so much that I never see her! It's like, you're more concerned with making money than spending time with me, the woman who you claim you love, who moved all the way here just to be with you!"

"San, of course I want to spend as much time with you as possible. But this is real life, and as much as I'd love to spend every single waking moment with you, I just can't. It's about compromise, San."

"How have you compromised, Quinn? How!? You've been working non-stop since the day I got here, working with that spiteful bitch who hates me. She sees you ten times as much as I do. I left my entire life, everything I love, the beach, my friends and family, my whole lifestyle, to come here to be with you, and you told me that you'd always remember that I moved here for you, and that you'd always be there for me, and that you would do whatever you could to make me the happiest woman in the world. And you know, what, Quinn? You haven't! You haven't done shit! And then, to see you with her…just…just makes me fucking sick!" Santana was screaming again at Quinn.

"Hon, please…" Quinn trailed off.

Santana was silent for a moment. Quinn took another step forward and tried to touch Santana, but Santana stepped back again. Tears were still streaming down her face. Quinn remained silent, tears streaming down her face, her head swirling with thoughts.

Santana wiped the tears from her cheeks. She looked Quinn in the eyes and then said, "Do you even really love me, Quinn. Or was this all just some kind of fantasy?"

Quinn was about to say, "Of course I love you", when she and Santana both heard a voice.

"What the fuck, Quinn?! And what the fuck is going on out here?" Quinn turned around and Santana looked up to see Kitty standing twenty feet away in the doorway of the lobby. Her left cheek bore a large red welt where Quinn had hit her. Kitty looked at Santana, rolled her eyes and said, "Jesus H. Christ", then looked at Quinn and said, "Are we gonna finish this up or what?"

Quinn stood there, motionless, her head overwhelmed with everything that was going on. She stared at Kitty for a moment, and then looked at Santana. Santana, who hadn't stopped crying since she saw Quinn and Kitty lip locked in Quinn's office, started bawling hard again at the sight of Kitty. She glared at Kitty, her face a twisted mask of pain, and spat out, "You're fucking evil!". Then she glared at Quinn and said, "You fucking broke my heart. You brought me pain. First my parents' deaths, and then you." Santana paused for a second and then wailed at Quinn, "You did nothing but lie to me! I should never have come here!" She took another two steps back, then turned around and started to run.

"Santana – wait!" Quinn wailed. But Santana was off and running.


	25. Chapter 25

Thanks for all of the feedback. Yep – the shiznit hit the fan last chapter. Here is another chapter. Remember, it will get better. I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 25

"Santana?" Tina said. She stood at her front door, surprised to see the person standing in front of her.

Santana stood there, tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God. What happened?" Tina asked. She had just finished dinner and was lying on her bed, listening to music, relaxing before she had to leave for band rehearsal, when she heard the knock on her door. She looked at the clock. It was just before 10pm.

Santana stood there, breathing hard, almost panting. Tina could tell she was trying to say something but couldn't get the words out. She stood there for a second and then pulled Santana in for a hug. They stood there like that for a minute, and then Tina ushered Santana into her coach house.

After Santana had run away from Quinn, she had wandered around aimlessly for almost an hour. She couldn't go home, or back to Quinn's apartment, as she had just shifted to thinking about that as. She couldn't go to any of Quinn's friends. Actually, she realized that she didn't know how to get a hold of any of Quinn's friends, even if she had wanted to go to one of them, like Rachel. She could go to work, but she was too broken up to go there. She wandered around a bit more, and then remembered that there was one person she knew that Quinn didn't.

Santana entered Tina's coach house and looked around. It was pretty much like her cottage back in Hawaii. Tina sat Santana down on her bed, got her some tissues, and then sat down on the bed next to her.

"Santana, tell me what happened", she said in a calm, supporting voice.

"I-I-I don't know if I can", Santana said. She wasn't sure if she could talk about what she had just seen. That, coupled with the whole experience of things not working out the way she had thought they would, made her think that talking might be too painful right now.

"It's okay", Tina said. "Just relax and take your time. We don't have to talk if you don't want."

Tina put her arm around Santana and gave her another tissue. They stayed like that for almost thirty minutes. Then, Santana said, "I guess I want to talk about it." She told Tina about everything that had happened since she had moved here – Kitty, Quinn's mother, feeling disappointed and trapped, feeling like she didn't belong here, feeling like Quinn wanted someone better, missing her life in Hawaii, finally talking with Quinn and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Quinn making more of an effort, leaving her nice notes, and then, at the final hour, going to surprise Quinn with dinner, only to see her kissing Kitty, and then running out into the middle of the street and having it out with Quinn. Tina sat there patiently, listening to Santana talk, comforting her and interjecting only when Santana asked for her thoughts.

"I just don't know what to do", Santana said.

Tina stared at Santana for a moment, then said, "I think you should go after her, Santana."

Santana was surprised to hear that response from Tina. "W-w-why would you say that?" she asked. "I-I-I thought you liked me."

Tina smiled a bit sadly at Santana. "I do like you Santana. I like you a lot. But, I can tell you are in love with her."

"How can you tell?" Santana asked.

"Because you wouldn't be so broken up right now if you weren't." Tina took Santana's hands and said, "Like I said, I like you…a lot. But, I want what's best for you. I want for you to be happy."

"I don't know. I just don't know what to do", Santana said again. "I mean, I just don't know if I can go after her. I can't take any more chances on any more heartbreak."

"Look", Tina said. "I haven't known you for very long, Santana but I can tell that you're a good person. And good people are hard to come by. And, when I meet one, I want what's best for that person. And you're a good person." And, in the most selfless move anyone has ever made, Tina said, "I want what's best for you. Whether that's here, there or somewhere else, or whether that includes me", she paused and then continued, " or doesn't include me…" Tina looked into Santana's eyes, "you need to do what's best for you, what will make you happy."

"I don't know. I just don't know what that would be anymore", Santana said. "I'm so unhappy, and I don't know where to start being happier. I mean, you're the best thing I have these days."

Tina smiled. She knew that she was a good thing in Santana's life, but she also knew that she wasn't the solution to Santana's unhappiness. Santana was in love with Quinn. She wouldn't be so broken up if she wasn't. Tina thought for a moment and then said, "Well, then, maybe the best thing to do is to start by being somewhere that makes you happy." She looked at Santana and said, "Maybe you should go home. Back to Hawaii. Maybe you should start there, and build your way back up to being happy."

Santana stared at her. She was struck by Tina's kindness and selflessness. She looked Tina in the eye and moved her face closer to Tina's. They were still holding hands. Tina looked at Santana for a moment. She moved a bit closer, and then dropped her gaze and pulled back.

"No, we…we can't do this", Tina said. Santana didn't say anything, so Tina continued. "I mean, I want to do this, but we can't do this. Again, I want what's best for you, and this isn't going to help."

Santana stared at Tina for a moment, then said, "you're so sweet…and so kind. Maybe…maybe if I had met you before I met Quinn…maybe…well, maybe we could have had something together."

"I know", Tina said. "But that's not what happened. Things happened the way they did, and you need to do what's best for you. Not for me, or not even for you and me, but for you." Tina was still for a moment, and then leaned in and touched her forehead to Santana's. They stayed like that for a minute, then Santana pulled back and looked into Tina's eyes.

"Thank you", she said to Tina.

"You're welcome", Tina said and smiled. She sat on the bed for a moment longer and then said, "Well, I'm supposed to have band rehearsal tonight, but I can call off if you want me to stay."

"No, no…it's okay."

"Are you sure", Tina asked.

"Yes, I'm sure, but thank you, though."

"Okay. Well then, I'll be back in a couple hours. You are more than welcome to stay here if you want. Here's my cell", she said, and wrote it on a piece of paper. "If you need anything else, or if you want me to come home early, let me know."

"Thank you, again". Santana said.

"You're welcome, again", Tina said. She smiled at Santana one more time, and then headed out the door. Santana sat on Tina's bed for five minutes, not doing anything. Then she took out her phone and made a call.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After Santana had taken off running, Quinn had stood there, shaking in the middle of the street. Kitty was yelling at her to come back in, but she could barely hear her, almost like she was in a coke bottle. For a moment, Quinn watched Santana take off down the street. The she started running after her, yelling her name, but Santana pulled further away, and the combination of Quinn wearing heels and Santana running full tilt and already being down the block, meant that there was no way Quinn would catch her. Quinn stopped running as she watched Santana pull further away. She called Santana's name one last time and watched her turn a corner and disappear. Then she started walking slowly down the street. The world seemed like it was moving in slow motion. Her head was spinning and she couldn't control her thoughts. What the hell had just happened? Did Kitty just try to kiss me? Should I have seen that coming? If so, how did I not see that coming? Did Santana really just see Kitty try to kiss me? And how in the world did I ignore the thing that was most important to me? And for what? How the hell had it come to this? Quinn thought.

Quinn continued to walk until she got to the apartment. She realized she had forgotten her purse at the office, and it had her keys, wallet and cellphone in it, but she didn't want to go back. She had the doorman in the lobby open up her apartment and she stumbled in. She hoped to see Santana sitting there, but the apartment was empty. She sat down on the couch and stared at the floor. I met this wonderful woman, she thought. I fell for her, and I brought her all the way here to live with me. I promised her I would be there for her. I failed to do so, and she was waiting patiently for me. She put up with my crazy schedule. She placated my judgmental mother. She went to do something nice for me, and instead she caught me getting jumped by my conniving work partner. How did I let it come to this, she thought? She kicked off her heels and laid down on the couch, her world spinning, tears welling up in her eyes again, and waited for Santana to come home.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn opened her eyes around 7am. She blinked a couple times and then realized she had fallen asleep on the couch. She was still in the suit she had worn yesterday. She felt like she had the biggest hangover, yet she had only drank a half a glass of wine. She reckoned she had finally fallen asleep somewhere around 4am or 5am. She stared blankly for a moment and then remembered what had happened the night before. She bolted up and ran to the bedroom, hoping to see Santana in the bed. She imagined seeing her lying there, waking her up, telling her that she loved her, holding her close and telling her that she'll never leave her alone ever again, Santana telling her that it's alright and that she forgives her, and that she loves her. But, Santana wasn't there. Seeing the bed empty caused Quinn's eyes to well up with tears again, and she stood there, crying for a full ten minutes. Then, as the tears died down, a feeling of dread and hopelessness started to overcome her, as she realized that she had no idea where Santana was nor had she any idea of how to find her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The team had finished the final run through of their pitch. Quinn had dragged herself, numb to the core, through the whole day. The first thing she did when she got to the office was to grab her phone and call Santana. No answer. She left a distraught voicemail, telling her how sorry she was and to please call back. Kitty was all business, acting like nothing had happened the night before. Quinn was still upset and in shock over what had happened but was too tired and distraught to bring anything up to her. She just wanted to get through the day and then go home so she could either see Santana sitting there or figure out how to find her. She called Santana six more times throughout the day. Each call went to voicemail. The team finished work around 6pm and Kitty cut everyone loose. She wanted everyone well rested for the pitch tomorrow. It was the earliest Quinn had left work in two months. She grabbed her purse and bolted from the office. She took a cab home so she could get home as soon as possible. She rushed into the apartment, hoping to see Santana. The apartment was empty. Seeing the apartment empty made tears well up in her eyes again, and she cried for another ten minutes. She called Santana again. Still no answer. She left another voicemail and then hung up. She sat down on her couch and then wandered into the bedroom and looked at Santana's side of the bed. She sat down on the bed and just stared at the floor. God, I miss her, Quinn thought. It's so funny. I've gone days in the last two months without seeing her, or only seeing her when she's been asleep, and I didn't really think twice about it. Now, she's gone, and every minute she's not here is just killing me. Quinn thought about that song "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" by Cinderella, and shook her head. How could I have let this happen? she thought again. She stared at the ground for a moment longer, and then dialed a number on her phone. Rachel appeared at her door a half hour later.

"Quinn", Rachel said, as Quinn opened the door. Rachel entered the apartment, and the two of them sat down on the living room couch. "What on earth happened?"

"I don't even know where to begin. I really screwed things up", Quinn said.

"Well, why don't you start from the beginning", Rachel said, and put her arm comfortingly around Quinn.

Quinn sighed, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then started in. She told Rachel about the talk that she and Santana had after Santana's run-in with Kitty at the festival, about how Santana had told her that she was unhappy here in Chicago, about how she promised Santana that things would get better after this project, about how she had started leaving notes for Santana in the morning to remind Santana that she loved her and was thinking about her. She told Rachel about how Kitty had come on to her at the office last night, and then how Santana had come to the office to surprise Quinn with dinner, and right as Santana showed up, Kitty had jumped her and kissed her, and how Santana had said "Oh my God" and then ran out of the office. Then she told Rachel about running out into the street after Santana, how Santana had let loose on her for kissing Kitty and for everything that was not right, how she had felt horrible seeing Santana cry, that she had let Santana down, that Santana felt lied to and betrayed, and how Santana had run off into the night. She told Rachel how she realized that she had been the cause of all of this, that she hadn't prioritized right and should have put Santana above everything else, and how she currently had no idea where Santana was or how to find her. Quinn talked for thirty minutes, and Rachel just listened.

"Wow", Rachel said, after Quinn as done. Part of her wanted to tell Quinn that she was dumb for not doing what she should have done and made Santana her first priority. But instead, she stayed positive and focused on how to best remedy the situation.

"I just don't know what to do", Quinn said.

"Do you love her, Quinn?"

"I do, Rachel. I do."

"Why didn't you make her the top priority when you moved her here?"

"I don't know", Quinn admitted. "Maybe because I'm so used to putting work first, and maybe I thought that things would get better once work calmed down, and that she would wait patiently for me, and that then I could spend the time with her that we both wanted, and…I don't know…it was stupid of me…" Quinn trailed off. She looked at Rachel and said, "What do I do?"

"You do love her?" Rachel asked to confirm.

"Yes, I do. I've been numb ever since last night. I've got the biggest pitch of my career tomorrow, and I have no idea how I'm going to focus on it. I can't think of anything else but her."

"Well, then you've got to go get her".

'What?" Quinn said.

"Go get her", Rachel said. "Quinn, you brought her here. She uprooted her whole life to be with you. You convinced her to come here, right? Like, you basically delivered an ultimatum to her to come here, or your relationship wasn't going to progress, right?"

"Right".

"And then she came here, and essentially, you haven't been there for her as much as you told her you would, right?"

"Right", Quinn admitted.

"Well, then if you still love her, then you need to go get her." Rachel looked Quinn in the eyes and said, "You owe it to her."

"But how? How am I going to find her? I've called her like ten times, and she won't answer. I have no idea where she is, or how to find her."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you on that. But, you did say that, in the beginning, you basically found her three times by random chance, right? Once when you first saw her surfing, once at some locals only restaurant, and then again when she saved your life, right?"

"Right."

"Well, that's a lot of times to find someone by chance. I think that means something. I'm not sure what, but I think that, somehow, somewhere, if you really want to find her, you'll find her. But, in the meantime, I guess you just have to wait and see if she calls."

Quinn sighed and then buried her face in her hands. "I just feel like I fucked this whole thing up. The best thing that has ever happened to me, I just threw it away. I just wish I could turn back the clock and do things over."

"Well, that would be nice", Rachel said, "but you can't. All you can do now is do whatever you can do to find her, and when you do find her, you need to do whatever you can to get her back."

"I don't know, Rach", Quinn said. "Like I said, I don't even know where to begin. I mean, she could be anywhere in this city."

Rachel thought for a moment and then said, "Or, she may not be in this city."

"W-w-what do you mean? What are you saying Rachel?"

Rachel looked Quinn straight in the eyes and said, "How far are you willing to go to get her back, Quinn?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn visited her mother for dinner that weekend. She didn't really want to go, but her mother wanted to see her, and she hadn't been up to the condo in a few weeks. It had been three days and she still hadn't heard from Santana. She sat in her mother's condo at the dinner table, picking at her braised ribs and julienne vegetables.

"Quinn, honey, are you alright?" Judy asked her daughter.

"I'm fine, Mom", Quinn answered.

"Are you sure, honey? You seem…I don't know…upset."

"No, no, I'm fine. It was just…a busy week at work."

Judy sat silent for a minute and then asked, "How's Santana doing? Did she find a real job yet?"

Quinn sat still and stared at her plate of food. Her lower lip quivered, and then the floodgates opened. Tears started pouring out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She bolted from the table and she ran into the room that used to be hers. She laid down on the bed and sobbed into the pillow. Judy came in right behind her and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Quinn? Honey? What on earth is wrong?"

"She left me", Quinn said through heaving sobs.

"Awwww, I'm sorry, honey. Well, you know, I'm not sure if it was a good match for you anyway", Judy said.

"Mom! Stop! Please!" Quinn sat up and shouted at her mother. "Look, I know you don't like her, but I'm fucking heartbroken right now, and I really could use your support, and I wish you could just be my mom right now, and not be so fucking judgmental!"

Judy sat there, shocked. She had no idea what had happened with Santana, but she clearly had underestimated how much Santana meant to her daughter. She sat silent for a minute, and then said softly, "Quinn…honey…I'm so sorry. Please, why don't you tell me what happened."

"Why?" Quinn said. "You don't like her, why would you care?"

"Because you're my daughter, and I love you." Judy's voice cracked. It was true – she pushed her daughter hard, and she wanted her to be financially secure, but she loved her daughter and it pained her to see Quinn so broken up. "And I want you to be happy", Judy said. "Please, honey…tell me what happened."

So Quinn sat up and through sniffles told her mother everything that had happened. Judy sat and, for the first time Quinn could remember, did not interrupt or turn the conversation. She listened as Quinn recounted everything that had happened since Santana had moved to Chicago to be with her. When Quinn was done, Judy took her daughter's hand.

"Quinn", Judy said. "First off, it breaks my heart to see you so distraught. I had no idea that Santana meant so much to you, and I'm sorry if I said anything that lead to her running away." Quinn kept sniffling, so Judy continued. "Secondly, I know I have driven you hard to succeed. I know I am worried about you being financially secure, and maybe overbearingly so. But", Judy said, and then looked at her daughter, "I also know that I want to see you happy. And right now, you are as unhappy as I've ever seen you, maybe even as unhappy or more than when your father passed away."

Quinn sniffled some more, and Judy handed her a tissue. "I just don't know what to do, Mom."

"Well, dear, you need to do what you think is best."

"Well, I don't know what's best", Quinn said.

"Well, let's start with what you want the most."

"I want to be happy", Quinn said.

"Well, what would make you happiest the most?"

"Being with Santana, Mom."

"Well, then you should make it your goal to be with Santana."

"But I don't know where she is", Quinn said.

"Well, unfortunately I can't help you with that, but I can tell you that, once you find her, you should be prepared."

"Be prepared for what?" Quinn asked.

"Be prepared to do whatever it takes to make her happy. That is, if what _you_ want is to be with her and make _her_ happy."

"Well, I know she doesn't want me to work so much. She doesn't care about how much money I make. But you do", Quinn said. Even through her despair she was still trying to bridge the gap between her own happiness and pleasing her mother.

"Quinn. Listen to me. Yes, there are things that I want. Things that I want for you. But", Judy said and then paused, "if what you want isn't what I want, and if what you want will truly make you happy, well then…I will be okay if you don't do what I want." She looked at her daughter and smiled. It was true. Judy wanted things, but more than anything, she wanted her only daughter to be happy, and, if that meant that Quinn didn't follow the dreams that Judy had for Quinn, well, then, she would just have to accept that, knowing that her daughter was happy. She looked at Quinn straight in the eyes and said, "I want you to be happy, honey. That is the most important thing to me."

Quinn blew her nose and then smiled at her mom. Then she leaned in and gave her mother a hug. "Thanks, Mom."

Judy laughed. "For what, honey?"

"For being my mom."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"And I'm very happy to say that, due to the hard work of the pitch team, lead by Quinn and Kitty, we have won the Kensington account and are now Kensington's official marketing agency!" Susan Sylvester, the CEO of Digitalworks, announced proudly and clapped her hands. Everyone erupted into applause. Kitty raised her arms in victory. They were in the large main reception area of the Digitalworks office. Susan had called an officewide meeting to announce the win of the Kensington account and congratulate the team that had worked on the pitch in front of the entire agency. Chief Operations Officer Holly Holiday stood by Susan's side and popped the champagne. Shelby beamed at Quinn and Kitty with pride. Quinn smiled as best she could, but inside she felt numb. She had put on her professional face and made it through the pitch, but all she could think about for the last week was Santana. One week had passed since Santana had run into the night, and Quinn still hadn't heard from her. She had called Santana a dozen times each day, and all of her calls went to voicemail. Every time Quinn came back to the apartment and found it empty she cried. Every time she woke up and found Santana not there she cried. Quinn hadn't slept more than a couple of hours each night. She would come home right after work and wait for Santana to return. Last night, Quinn had remembered her conversation with Santana in Hawaii, in Santana's cottage, when they had their first big argument, when Quinn had delivered her ultimatum, and Quinn remembered Santana saying something about using a gun and killing herself if she went with Quinn to Chicago and things didn't work out. Quinn had jumped off her couch as soon as she remembered that and went to the police station to file a missing persons report. Then she had sent Santana a text. It just said:

_Santana – I'm so sorry. I know you are upset right now, but I am sick with worry over you. I don't know where you are or how to find you. I know you may not want to talk with me right now, but please text me back so I know you are okay. I love you, Quinn_

Quinn stood there, glass of champagne in hand, doing her best to look happy. The pitch, which should have been the pinnacle of her career so far, somehow meant nothing now. She was accepting congratulations from co-workers when Shelby came up to her, all smiles.

"Quinn, congratulations. Great job. Big win for the agency, and for you", she said, a huge grin on her face.

"Thanks, Shelby."

"Listen, I was thinking about our talk a couple months ago, about what's in store for you here, and I think we should meet to talk."

"Uh, great, sounds good", Quinn said, trying to muster up enthusiasm.

"I've been talking with the executive staff, and I have an opportunity that I think you will find interesting. Why don't we set an appointment for next week to get together in my office and talk-"

Quinn's phone buzzed. She looked at it. It was a text from Santana. It said:

_I'm okay_

"Uh, Shelby, um…I'm sorry, but I have to go." Quinn set her glass down and bolted out of the office.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn got home as quick as she could. As she had been for the last week, she was hoping she would find Santana in the apartment, but the apartment was empty. Quinn paced around and thought. Santana was okay. That was good. But where could she be? She paced for a few more minutes and then went into the bedroom. She looked around and found the hoodie that said Chicago on it that she had bought Santana when they had first arrived at the airport. She picked it up and inhaled, breathing in Santana's scent. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she did, and she sat down on the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to let her mind wander. Despite their situation, she tried to think about the good times she and Santana had shared. She remembered first seeing Santana as she paddled in towards the beach on her surfboard at Magic Island. She remembered their first meeting at Sidestreet. She remembered coming back from unconsciousness on Waikiki Beach and seeing Santana staring into her eyes after she had saved her life. She remembered taking Santana out to dinner, their first kiss, going surfing, fishing and making love for the first time on the boat. She remembered hiking, the hidden cove behind the waterfall, driving around the island, and making love on Santana's secret beach. She remembered making fun of how there were only three expressways in Hawaii, and how she and Santana had jockeyed back and forth over using the term freeway versus expressway. God, she thought. I remember all of these things so vividly, every detail, as if they happened yesterday. I remember them so much more vividly than anything that has happened in the last two months, besides that horrible night a week ago, when Santana ran away. How is that? Maybe that place is magic, she thought, referring to Hawaii and remembering the words of the driver that had picked her up from the airport and drove her to her hotel. She remembered meeting Santana's family, and stepping into Santana's cottage for the first time. As she thought about Santana's cottage, she remembered making fun of Santana's ancient laptop, and then a thought crossed her mind. Then she thought about what Rachel had said, and she bolted up, ran into the living room and opened her laptop.


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks as always for the feedback. The drama continues, but we are coming to the end. Like, soon.

A word on tagging – when I first started the story, I wasn't exactly sure how big of a part each of the characters was going to play, so some of the characters ended up playing a bigger part than anticipated, and others ended up playing a smaller part. Perhaps I should retag? Again, I am new to writing for FF, so if that is best practice, please let me know.

Anyway, I thank you again, and I hope you are still enjoying the story.

Chapter 26

Santana sat on her secret beach, staring out at the ocean. It's like it had all been a dream, she thought. A crazy, sometimes wonderful, but often stressful, confusing, and at times downright nightmarish dream.

After Tina had left her coach house to rehearse with her band, Santana had called Emma. That had been two weeks ago. They had talked for over an hour, and at the end of their talk they had decided that it would be best if Santana came back to Hawaii. Emma booked Santana a plane ticket and transferred some travel money into Santana's bank account. After hanging up with Emma, Santana had shut her eyes and fallen asleep on Tina's bed. She had woken up around 4am. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was, but then she looked over and saw Tina lying beside her. Tina had covered Santana with a blanket and was lightly sleeping herself. Santana sat up and Tina stirred. She woke Tina up and told her that she had spoken with her aunt and had booked a plane ticket to Hawaii for a flight departing at noon. Tina said she was bummed to see Santana go, but she understood that was best. They laid down and tried to sleep for a few more hours, and then Tina drove Santana to the bank and then to the airport. They hugged a prolonged hug goodbye. They did not kiss. Then Santana checked in, went through security, and boarded her flight with nothing but the clothes she was wearing.

Santana spent the whole flight in a state of anxiety. She didn't like flying as it was, and this time she didn't have anyone to comfort her. She thought about Quinn multiple times on the flight, and each time she did, tears welled up in her eyes. The flight attendant serving her area noticed and brought her some tissues.

Puck picked Santana up from the airport. They immediately drove to Emma's house. Emma and Sam were there. They hugged Santana and told her everything would be alright. Emma had prepared dinner, but Santana said she wasn't hungry. Santana went back to her cottage and laid down in her bed. She was still overwrought with emotion, but she was exhausted, and she found comfort in being home on the island. She closed her eyes and slept off and on for almost 24 hours. She woke up the next evening and went into the house to get something to eat. Emma was there, and they talked. They talked the whole evening. Santana told Emma through tears all about her experience in Chicago, how Quinn hadn't been there for her like she said she was going to be, and then how she saw Quinn and Kitty kissing in Quinn's office. Even though Santana wanted to believe Quinn when Quinn said Kitty had jumped her, the image of them kissing was still burned in her mind, and it still hurt, if for no other reason than it reminded Santana that Quinn had spent way more time with Kitty than with her, whether she had wanted to or not, and infidelity or not. Emma held Santana and stroked her hair as she cried and talked. Then Santana went back to her cottage and stayed there for the next few days. She thought frequently about Quinn, and each time she thought about Quinn, the tears came.

Santana had started to venture out a few days later. She wasn't ready to work, but she had told Puck to let everyone know that she was back, and that she would be making the rounds soon. She took the next few days to enjoy being back on the island. She went surfing and fishing. She ate at her favorite places. She went to her favorite haunts. Seeing familiar places helped to ease the pain, but she still thought about Quinn regularly, and she avoided any specific spots that she had taken Quinn to. It's funny, Santana thought. This is my home, but having taken Quinn to so many places kind of makes those places hers now, too, and it will be painful for me to visit them.

After a week of being home, Santana finally decided to visit some of the places she had taken Quinn. She went to the surf spot near Diamond Head. She went fishing on _Malia_ with John John and his brother at the ledge near the west side of Oahu. She went hiking at Manoa Falls. She ate at Sidestreet with Puck and Sam. She cried at each spot, but she needed to see them and hoped that someday she could see them without thinking of Quinn.

Finally, three days ago, she had visited her secret beach for the first time since she had returned to Hawaii. It was the place she had been avoiding the most, but she gathered the courage to go. The first day she visited, she cried the entire two hours she was there, looking at the spot in the sand where she and Quinn had made love, and looking out into the water where they had taken a post-coital swim. It was painful, but she told herself that this was her beach, and that she couldn't let painful memories spoil it. She came back the next day and cried a little less. She came back the day after and cried even less.

Now, she was sitting on her beach, for the fourth day in a row. She had only cried a little when she had first arrived an hour ago. Yes, the pain was still there, but this was her beach, and she was determined to reclaim it. She needed a place for herself, and this was the one place where she needed to be able to go, to get away from everything and find peace and solitude. Someday it will be that way once again, she thought, as she looked out onto the sparkling blue water. Her thoughts turned to Quinn, swimming naked, laughing, gliding up to her and kissing her as they played in the water, and tears welled up in her eyes. She still couldn't believe the whole thing. She had fallen for Quinn, moved across the world, only to have her heart broken, and so she moved back, thousands of miles, to the one place she should be safe. And she's still here, Santana thought. She's still in my thoughts, and I just can't get rid of her. I still love her. God damn it, Quinn Fabray, Santana thought. I wish it was all just a bad dream that I'd wake up from soon, and then it would all be over. Well, I'm never going through that again, Santana thought. I'm never leaving this island, ever again, and I'm never falling in love, ever again. She closed her eyes and listened to the gentle ocean waves lapping on the shore, then laid back down onto the sand and fell asleep.

Santana opened her eyes. The sun had gone from its midday blaze to a late afternoon glow. I slept, she thought. I actually slept. That was the best sleep I've had in two weeks. She sat up halfway, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. And froze.

Standing ten feet away from her was Quinn Fabray. She was wearing a white sarong and holding a purple and white hibiscus flower in her hand. She looked at Santana with regretful, apologetic eyes and smiled slightly. Santana couldn't believe what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes again, and then again, and Quinn was still there. She tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Hi", Quinn said softly. Her voice was barely audible above the gentle waves lapping on the shore.

Santana continued to stare.

"It's me, hon", Quinn said.

Santana continued to stare for a moment and then spoke. "A-a-are you really here?"

"Yes, hon", Quinn said. "I'm really here."

"W-w-what...what are you doing here?" Santana asked.

After Quinn had remembered making fun of Santana's ancient laptop, she had opened up her own laptop, the laptop that she and Santana had shared, and had gone online. She had paged through the browsing history and found the surf cam website that Santana used, and she looked through the surf cams that Santana had been looking at. It was the longest long shot ever, but Rachel had reminded her that she had encountered Santana randomly the first three times they had met, and Quinn had nothing else to go on. She had monitored surf cams often for two days straight, when she glanced at her screen and her jaw dropped. Coming out of the water at Sunset Beach was Santana. She walked right by the cam, and although she didn't look right into it, Quinn knew it was her. After getting over the initial shock, the first thought Quinn had was, Santana is alive. She's alive, and she's safe. Thank God, Quinn thought and breathed a sigh of relief. The second thought she had was, Santana is back in Hawaii. She actually went back to Hawaii. Quinn thought about calling her, to tell her that she knew Santana was back in Hawaii, but she figured, what's the use in that? Santana won't call back. Then, Quinn thought about her talk with Rachel, and what Rachel had said – how badly do you want her back?

The day after Quinn saw Santana on a surf cam, she spoke with Shelby and asked for a week off of work. She told Shelby she needed to attend to some personal matters. Shelby gave Quinn the time off because of the big Kensington win and the fact that Quinn had worked so hard on the pitch. Quinn promised to meet with Shelby about Shelby's idea for a new opportunity for Quinn as soon as she was back in the office, knowing there was a chance she might not return. Then Quinn booked a seat on the next flight to Hawaii and a room at the Sheraton in Waikiki. Upon her arrival, she rented a car and started looking for Santana. She was going to stop by Emma's house, but she figured than Santana would have told Emma all about what had happened, and she felt like she wouldn't be able face Emma right now. Quinn was also trying to avoid Puck, since she figured that Santana might have told him as well. So, for the last four days, Quinn had been searching the island, hoping to run into Santana. She hiked Manoa Falls and went to the surf spot near Diamond Head. She stopped by Kewalo Basin. She had driven the same drive that Santana had taken her on, up through the north shore and down the windward side. She passed Chinaman's Hat, and that was when she thought about seeing if she could find Santana on her secret beach. She had stopped by a few days ago but hadn't seen Santana. She had come by yesterday, in the morning, but hadn't seen her then, either. She had thought about maybe just camping out on the beach, but she had decided against that, and instead decided to come by one last time today, before she went to Emm'a house and started banging on Santana's cottage door. She had arrived a half hour ago, and her heart had swooned when she saw Santana sleeping on the beach. She was here, Quinn thought. She was really here. The woman I love, who I thought I might never see again, was right here, in front of me. Quinn approached Santana quietly as she slept. She thought about waking her up, but Santana looked like she was sleeping peacefully, and Quinn figured Santana may not have slept much recently, since she had not slept much recently herself. She wanted to let her sleep, so she waited patiently until Santana woke up.

Quinn looked at Santana. She took a deep breath and then exhaled. "I came here to find you."

Santana stared at Quinn in a mixture of shock and amazement. "How did you find me?"

Quinn smiled shyly. "I've been searching for you ever since I got here, four days ago." Santana was silent, so Quinn continued. "Remember when we first met at Sidestreet? I asked you how I could see you again, and you told me, 'You found me twice. You'll find me again'. So I followed that logic and hoped I would run into you." She smiled a bit, and Santana nodded in understanding.

"I-I-I can't believe you're here", Santana said.

"That's what I thought when _you moved_ to Chicago for _me_. I remember holding you in the living room of the apartment and saying that exact same thing to myself", Quinn asked.

Santana stared at Quinn for a moment and then said, "W-w-wait. What are you saying, Quinn?"

Quinn walked over slowly and knelt down next to Santana. "I'm moving here, Santana. I'm moving here to be with you." Quinn looked into Santana's eyes, and said, "I love you, Santana Lopez." She has the most amazing dark brown eyes, Quinn thought. Santana didn't say anything, so Quinn continued on. "I'm so sorry, about everything. I'm so sorry that I didn't take care of you when you were in Chicago, even though I promised I would. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you, and that I didn't make you the happiest woman in the world, even though I told you I would." Quinn took a deep breath, exhaled, and then said. "I love you, Santana. I love you, and I don't want to be without you. Since you left, the last two weeks have been the worst two weeks of my life, and all I want is for you to take me back and give me another chance." Tears were forming in her eyes.

Santana stared. Could this really be happening? Quinn was here. She was really here. She had flown all the way from Chicago, and she was saying that she was moving here to be with Santana. But still Santana couldn't quite believe it. Tears were forming in her eyes as well. She sat up fully and said, "B-b-but, what about your life in Chicago? Everything you have there?"

"I don't want it, and I don't need it, if having it means not having you", Quinn said, her voice filled with stark honesty. "I'd give it all up just for another chance to make things right with you."

Santana said, "I-I-I…I just don't know. I mean, y-y-you've hurt me so badly, Quinn, and I just don't know if I can take the chance of being…hurt…again", she trailed off.

"I know", Quinn said softly. "I know." Then she leaned in a bit and smiled slightly. "Do you remember when we went to the Cubs game that one day, and then we watched Crocodile Dundee later that night?"

"Of course", Santana said, and then smiled slightly herself. "The day we ended up on both the jumbotron _and_ the 10 o'clock news?"

"Yes, that day", Quinn said and laughed lightly. "Do you remember what you told me that night?" Quinn paused. "You told me that you like happy endings."

"I remember", Santana said.

"Well, I do, too. And I want to give _you_ a happy ending", Quinn said. "A _real_ happy ending, not just the kind I gave you that night", she said and smiled a bit again, trying for a spot of levity in what was probably the most serious conversation she had ever had. "I know our relationship didn't work out when we were living in Chicago, and that was all on me. I want to make it up to you. _Please_ just give me another chance, and I will do whatever it takes to make it right this time. I'm willing to give up my whole life in Chicago, everything, starting _now_, for another chance with you."

Santana stared at her, tears rolling down her cheeks. She still couldn't believe what was happening. "A-a-are you really here?" she asked Quinn again.

"Yes, beautiful", Quinn verified. "I am really here."

"I can't believe this is happening", Santana said.

Quinn scooted closer to Santana. "Anything can happen, beautiful", she said. "I mean, look, I'm here", she said, remembering that Santana had said the exact same thing to her the night they had watched Crocodile Dundee together. Quinn smiled and then extended her hand that was holding the hibiscus flower.

Santana took it, her fingers trembling, remembering that she had given Quinn a flower, the same kind of flower, the night of their first date. She looked at it for a moment, and then looked at Quinn and said, "You need to promise me that you'll never hurt me again", Santana said, in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, as she looked into Quinn's eyes. She has the most amazing green eyes, Santana thought.

"I promise, hon", Quinn said, barely whispering herself. The water gently lapped in the background. "I promise." Santana looked down, then looked at the flower in her hand, then looked again at Quinn, and then she wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck. Quinn's arms went around Santana's waist. Tears flowed, and the two women stayed like that for a minute. Then Quinn pulled just her head back a bit and put her forehead to Santana's. "I love you, Santana Lopez", she said softly, her voice trembling.

"I love you, Quinn Fabray", Santana replied.

Quinn kept her forehead pressed to Santana's for another minute, and then pressed her lips to Santana's. They stayed like that for another minute, and then Santana deepened the kiss. They remained like that for another few minutes, and then Santana pulled back a bit, her arms still around Quinn's neck. Quinn looked at her, smiled, and wiped the tears from Santana's face with her thumbs. They stayed like that, embraced in silence for a minute. Then Santana asked, "How did you know I would take you back? I mean, how did you know that you wouldn't come all the way here, and even if you found me, I wouldn't turn you away?"

Quinn looked at Santana. "I didn't", she said. She paused for a moment and then said, "I took a chance. Just like you took a chance for me." She smiled at Santana and said, "It's the least I could do." Then she took Santana into her arms again and kissed her, and they stayed like that until the sun went down, a burning orange globe over the sparkling water.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

So, that is the end of the regular story. I hope you enjoyed it. I will be uploading a couple epilogues that will tie up some loose ends and give a glimpse of Quinn and Santana's life together in the future.

Also, I am currently out of ideas for stories, so feel free to send me suggestions.


	27. Chapter 27

So, the previous chapter was the end of the regular story. I hope you enjoyed it (yes – I know it was a total Hollywood ending. Like I've said before – I'm a sucker for Hollywood). As I said at the end of the previous chapter, I will be uploading a couple of epilogues (starting now) that will tie up some loose ends and give a glimpse into Quinn and Santana's life together in the future. Also, I will put a big _**THE END**_ at the end of the last one, so you know that the story is officially over.

Also, I am currently out of ideas for stories, so feel free to send me suggestions. One thought I had would be to write an alt ending with Tina and Santana, for the Santina fans. Let me know if that sounds interesting, or if you have any other ideas.

Epilogue 1

After Quinn and Santana reunited on Santana's secret beach, Santana slowly started getting back to work, resuming her part-time positions as a lifeguard, a surf instructor and a deckhand on John John's brother's fishing boat. Quinn stayed in the hotel and took the next few days to find an apartment. They had discussed Quinn moving into Santana's cottage right away, but after much consideration they actually decided against it. There was a lot at stake this time around, and they both knew it, so they decided to take things slow. Quinn found a sparsely furnished one bedroom apartment on a month-to-month lease above a _lei_ flower necklace shop in the Kaimuki area, not too far from the Sheraton hotel in Waikiki. It was a big step down in terms of size and luxury from her stunning apartment on Lake Shore Drive, but Quinn was okay with that. The apartment was clean, it was in a good location, and it was just a ten minute drive from where Santana lived.

Quinn and Santana spent most of the next few days talking. They talked about what had failed in their relationship in Chicago, and how they could do things better in Hawaii. They both acknowledged that just changing locations wasn't going to guarantee a successful relationship. There were other things that would have to change, regardless of where they lived. Quinn admitted that the failure of their relationship in Chicago had rested on her shoulders. They both agreed that the largest contributor was Quinn not being around enough for Santana. Now that they were in Hawaii, Santana had a whole life of her own and wouldn't feel like the only thing she had was Quinn, but even so, Santana still told Quinn that she wanted Quinn to be working to live, and not living to work. She understood that Quinn needed to make a living, and she also understood that Quinn was naturally driven, but she didn't want Quinn working all day and all night, all the time. Quinn told Santana that she understood, and that she would try to keep a lid on how may hours she worked, as well as try to manage her expectations that she would probably never be the CEO of a large marketing agency, but that the change wouldn't happen overnight. She had been in the mindset of getting to the top for so long that it would take a bit of time to make that mental transition. Santana understood, and Quinn knew that being in Hawaii would make it easier for Santana for be patient. On the flipside, Santana promised that she would never leave Quinn feeling neglected like Quinn had left her. Now that the roles were reversed, it was Quinn who was without friends and family, and Santana pledged to be there for Quinn and help her as much as she could with the transition to life on the island.

For Santana's part, the one thing she needed to address with Quinn was Tina. There had been a couple of close calls in Chicago, and even though those close calls were a result of Quinn's neglect and absence, Santana still felt bad. She still wasn't 100% sure of all of the factors that contributed to her being attracted to Tina, and right up until she and Quinn talked about it, she was still on the fence of even bringing the whole thing up. But in the spirit of putting everything out on the table, Santana decided to get it out in the open. They were having dinner at Quinn's apartment: pan-fried mahi mahi with mango relish, fried rice with Portuguese sausage and _lau lau _pork wrapped in taro leaf. It was day two of their talks, and they had just finished talking about how Santana would do what she could to be there for Quinn, now that it was Quinn who had moved halfway around the world to be with Santana.

"Hey, baby?" Santana started warily.

"Yes, hon?"

"Um…since we're talking about…well…everything…I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"And please – let me finish before you say anything", Santana said, as she put down her fork.

"Okay…" Quinn said, and put down her fork as well. She could tell by the tone of Santana's voice that whatever Santana was about to say was going to be tough for her to get out.

Santana paused for a moment. She was nervous to say what she was about to say, and in the back of her mind she knew she was risking Quinn becoming upset enough to move back to Chicago. But, she figured that, since they were talking about everything, there was no better time to bring this up than now, and at this moment Quinn would probably be as receptive as she would ever be to hearing this. And if not…well, it was better to know now than later.

"So, I need to tell you that…um…I met someone when I was living in Chicago." Quinn stared at her, but as requested, didn't say anything, so Santana continued. "I met her at Mother's. Her band played there one night when I was working. It was a night when I was really feeling neglected. I actually remember the night. You and I hadn't had dinner together in two weeks, and we were supposed to have dinner together that night, before I went in to work, and I was making enchiladas for us, but you canceled dinner on me to work late."

"I remember", Quinn said. She was going to say that she remembered it was the first time Santana had gotten verbally upset with Quinn for canceling dinner and hung up the phone on her without saying 'I love you', but then she realized she wasn't supposed to say anything until Santana was done talking, so she held that in for now, and made a mental note to mention that later.

"Anyway, so I met her, and then after the bar closed, we went out together to get something to eat. And, I don't know why I went with her, but for some reason, I did. Maybe it was because I was feeling neglected by you, or maybe I was attracted to her for some other reason, but I don't know."

"Okay…" Quinn said again. She was starting to get a bad feeling about where this was going, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the rest, but she knew that they needed to be able to talk, about everything, even the hard stuff, if they were going to make their relationship work this time, so she kept quiet and let Santana continue.

"Anyway, um…nothing happened", Santana continued. She looked down for a moment and then looked up. "Actually, that's not totally true. I went to see her band play again one night two weeks later, when you were working. Actually, that night, you had called me in the early evening to tell me that you ended up not having to work super late and could actually be home in time for a late dinner, but I had already told myself that I would go see her play. And, I don't know why I went to see her again, but maybe, again, maybe it was because I was feeling neglected by you, because even though you ended up being free for dinner that night, you had missed so many dinners with me previously. Or maybe it was because she was the one person I knew who you didn't know, and she was the one person I could look at that didn't remind me of you and of how unhappy I was living in Chicago. Or maybe it was something else. I don't know…" Santana trailed off, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then said, "After her show, I walked her home. She asked me to come in to her place, and I said no. But…" Santana paused and looked down again, and when she looked up, her eyes were moist, "I gave her a short kiss on the lips."

Quinn looked down.

"I'm so sorry, baby", Santana said. "And, again, I don't know why I was attracted to her, but…" Santana trailed off again.

When Quinn looked back up, her eyes were moist as well. "I remember the night you met her", Quinn said. "It was the first time you had ever gotten upset with me for canceling dinner. I remember you hung up the phone on me without saying "I love you'. And, I also remember the night you went to see her band play. It was a Monday night, three days before the Kensington pitch. I remember because I was really excited to get out of work at a semi-decent hour and have dinner with you, but when I called you, you said you had to go to work. I was really bummed out, and I remember thinking that it was odd that you were working, because you didn't usually work on Mondays. And", Quinn continued, "now that I think about it, there was something different in your voice that evening, when we spoke on the phone. I couldn't put my finger on it then, but now I know why." Santana sat silent, so Quinn asked, "Did anything else happen?"

"No. I walked away", Santana said.

"And, did you ever see her again?" Quinn asked.

Santana looked down, and then looked up. "Yes. Once more. After I saw you and Kitty kissing at the office – well, after I saw _Kitty_ come on to _you_ at the office, when I ran away, I ended up at her place. Again, she's the only person I knew who you didn't, and I actually didn't have anywhere else to go. I couldn't go back to your apartment, and I don't have Rachel's or anyone else's numbers, and I didn't make any friends at work."

Quinn noted that Santana had said "to your apartment", not "to our apartment" or "to our place" or "home". There's no way Santana could have shifted from thinking about the apartment as being both of theirs to just Quinn's apartment in the short period of time since she came back here, Quinn thought. It suddenly became apparent to Quinn the degree to which Santana had not felt at home in Chicago. Maybe she had never felt at home there, Quinn thought, and the thought of that saddened her, since she knew that it was her doing, or more like what she hadn't done, that had made Santana not feel at home. She was going to say something, but she decided to hold it in for now, and she prompted Santana to continue. "So…?"

"So I slept there that night. And the next day, I jumped on a plane to come back home."

Again, the use of the word "home" – not applied to the apartment they shared in Chicago, but to Hawaii. I failed, Quinn thought. I don't like hearing about this other woman, but I definitely didn't help the situation. She looked into Santana's eyes and asked, "And, did anything happen that night?"

"No", Santana said, resolutely. "We talked, and I told her everything that was happening and had happened between you and me, and then she went to band rehearsal, and I fell asleep on her bed, and when I woke up at like 4am she was sleeping next to me, but nothing happened. We were fully clothed, and not even sharing covers, and I had my own blanket. We woke up the next day and then she drove me to the airport. And, we hugged goodbye, but we didn't kiss."

"She knew about me?" Quinn asked.

"Yes. I told her about you the first night we met", Santana said.

Quinn sat and thought. The fact that Santana had told this other woman about her was a good sign. It meant that Santana wasn't trying to hide anything. But, Quinn was still upset. She was upset, but she wasn't exactly sure of all of the reasons why. Part of it, for sure, was the fact that Santana had been with another woman. Even if she hadn't really been physically cheating, she had still spent time with another woman over spending time with Quinn. But, as much as that thought hurt, Quinn was hurt just as much, if not more, by the thought that her own neglect of Santana was what had caused that to happen. She knew that it was her not being there for Santana that had caused Santana to stray in the first place. She took a deep breath and said, "San, I-I-I don't know what to say. I mean, this hurts to hear, but I know that it was me not being there for you that caused this." Then as if requiring affirmation, Quinn asked, "Can I ask you something? Would this have happened if I had been there for you like I should have been?"

"No", Santana said without hesitating. "Never."

Quinn smiled slightly, but then her smile dropped and she looked down. "And…" this, Quinn thought, was going to be painful to ask, but I have to know, "did you ever feel at home in Chicago, ever?"

Santana paused for a moment and then delivered the truth. "No."

Quinn looked down again. I need to make a decision, she thought. I need to decide if I can move past this, or if this is going to hold me up, and in turn, be an issue for us. She was thinking, still looking down, when Santana spoke.

"Q?" Santana said. "Say something, please…" she asked, in a pleading voice.

Quinn looked up. She paused for a moment and then said, "San, I understand that the reason you never felt at home in Chicago was because I wasn't there to support you and help you transition to your new life there. And, I also understand that what happened with this other woman was because I wasn't there for you. Now, it still hurts to hear what you just said, but again, I understand." She stared at Santana for a moment and then smiled slightly. "I can get past this. And, I will promise you that I will always be there for you in the future."

Santana smiled slightly and reached across the table to grab Quinn's hand. "And I will make sure that I am always there for you, too", she said.

Quinn switched the grip and ran her thumb over Santana's hand. "I'm glad you told me", Quinn said. Then she looked down, paused, and looked back up, right into Santana's eyes. "And hon – please, promise me you will always talk to me - about anything. Even if you think I won't want to hear it. I want to know everything you are thinking, and I want to know sooner rather than later."

"I will", Santana said and then smiled. "Same goes for you, too." Quinn smiled back. Santana stared at Quinn for a moment, and then she got off her chair. She walked around the table and straddled Quinn as Quinn remained sitting on her chair. She looked down at Quinn, and Quinn stroked Santana's hair. Then Santana leaned in to kiss Quinn, and the two stayed like that for a while.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Quinn flew back to Chicago a week after she had flown to Hawaii to find Santana. She stayed only as long as it took to tie up some loose ends, promising Santana that she would be back as soon as possible. She broke the lease on her luxury apartment, eating the security deposit in the process. She boxed up the few things that were either Santana's or things that included Santana, like photos, and had them shipped to Emma's house for Santana and her to sort through at a later date. She had brought an empty suitcase with her, and she packed some more clothes and sentimental odds and ends in her suitcase to take back to Hawaii. She sold the rest of her belongings, and that which she could not sell she either gave away or donated to Goodwill. Then she got a room at the nearby Drake Hotel for the next few days until she left for Hawaii. She sold her car and made the necessary financial arrangements for her move.

Two days after Quinn got back to Chicago she went into the Digitalworks office and spoke with Shelby. She told Shelby about her situation with Santana. She also told her about what had happened with Kitty. Shelby offered to investigate the matter, but Quinn declined, at least on her part. She was ready to leave the past in the past and start her new life. Quinn also let Shelby know that she would be resigning effective immediately. Shelby was sorry to see Quinn go, but she understood. She also agreed to help Quinn out with any job leads she could think of or might come across. Shelby even offered to keep Quinn on the Digitalworks payroll in a consultant position, a job that Quinn could work from Hawaii, but Quinn politely declined. She needed a new start, she said. Working for Digitalworks meant long hours, and Quinn knew that Santana would not be happy with that, even if they were living in Hawaii and not Chicago. Quinn turned in her key card and thanked Shelby. They shook hands, and Shelby wished her luck. As Quinn was walking out of the Digitalworks office for the last time, she passed the north conference room. She glanced in and saw Kitty talking with two junior co-workers. She shook her head and kept walking. As she took the elevator down for the last time, she thought about the lifestyle change she was about to make, and all of the implications that it meant. She knew she would never be the CEO of a large company. That was no longer in her future. But, that didn't matter anymore. She had Santana, and that's what mattered most. As she exited the eighty story office building, she looked up one last time, smiled, and then walked back to her hotel room.

Quinn had lunch with her mother two days before she left to go back to Hawaii. They spoke for the entire afternoon. The move came as a surprise to Judy, who, despite her support, hadn't foreseen such a drastic maneuver. She was in tears, thinking about her little baby girl moving so far away, but Quinn promised to call often. Plus, Quinn reminded her mother, it was partially her talk with Quinn that had given Quinn the resolve to chase Santana down and commit to being with her, no matter what she might have to do to make things work. Quinn told her mother she would visit as soon as she got settled and adjusted to life in Hawaii, maybe in a year or next holiday season. They hugged a long embrace, and then Quinn jumped on the L for the hour-long ride back to the city.

On her last night in Chicago, Quinn went out to dinner with Rachel, Brittany and Bree. They ate deep dish pizza at Gino's and then went dancing at Underground. They stayed out till 2am and then went for late night Chicago style hot dogs at Weiner Circle. The following morning, Quinn checked out of her hotel room and hopped a cab to O'Hare. Thirteen hours later she stepped off the plane in Honolulu. Santana was there to pick her up. They spent the night at Quinn's apartment, making love, holding each other and talking some more.

The next day, Quinn started searching for employment. Oddly enough, her job came with assistance from Puck. After Quinn and Santana had reunited, Santana had told Puck that Quinn was moving to Hawaii and had a background in marketing. Puck didn't know anything about marketing, but he did know that surfing magazines had ads in them, so he and a few of his crew paid a visit to the office of Hang Ten, the largest surfing magazine on the islands. They asked them where their ads came from. Through a conversation with an employee there who was a surfing enthusiast and who was trying to get into the lineup at some of the larger surf breaks where the KP patrolled, Puck found out that most of the ads were purchased through a single local marketing agency, Aloha Marketing. Puck relayed the information to Santana, who in turn told Quinn. Quinn talked her way into an interview with Aloha Marketing, visited their downtown Honolulu office, and they were so impressed with her that they hired her a week later. They created a new position for her, Director of Integrated Marketing. The company was much smaller than Digitalworks, and in all honesty was small time compared to Quinn's former employer, but business is business, and Quinn's first order of business was to grow Aloha's client base. She went after the companies that advertised not only in local surfing magazines but also in tourist magazines, the local newspapers, and on local television and radio as well. Most of the companies that advertised in Hawaii were local companies – shops, activities, attractions, restaurants, banks, auto repair shops and service stations, realtors – and within a few months, she had made Aloha Marketing the local agency with the largest roster of local clients. In addition, Quinn worked to grow Aloha's digital business, taking Aloha's clients that advertised predominately in magazines and newspapers and worked with them to expand their online marketing presence, mobile capabilities, social media reach and email campaigns. Coming from a large agency in a large marketing town, Quinn's experience and expertise was welcomed by Aloha, but she did have some trouble initially adjusting to the way things worked at the smaller agency. Eventually, though, she settled in to her new work environment. She grew to like the flexible work hours, laid-back work ethic and casual dress code in the office. She got a kick out of seeing agency staff bolt out of the office at the drop of a hat to go surfing when the waves were good or fishing when the bite was on. Ditching work to go play was a foreign concept to her, but gradually she realized that, since most of the clients were local, if the staff was out, then the clients were probably out as well, and she would laugh to herself and remind herself that here people were working to live, not living to work. In addition, Shelby regularly sent Quinn lower-level freelance digital marketing jobs that she could work remotely. They were, in all honesty, below her pay grade, but it was extra income, and they only necessitated a few extra hours a week. She could work her job at Aloha Marketing, work these freelance jobs, and still not be working past 5pm or on the weekends.

After three months, Quinn and Santana realized that they had spent almost every night together, so Santana moved into Quinn's apartment in Kaimuki, which was only slightly bigger than Santana's cottage, but had an actual separate bedroom with walls and a door. They stayed there together for another few months, and then they moved into a nicer two bedroom apartment in the Ala Moana area, right near Kewalo Basin. It was in a high rise just off Kapiolani Boulevard and had a doorman in the lobby. It was still smaller than Quinn's former apartment in Chicago, but it was considerably larger than the one bedroom they had moved from, and the location was great, especially for Santana. On the days she worked as a deckhand on John John's brother's fishing boat, she could walk from home to the boat in under five minutes, which was nice, considering that fishing days sometimes started before dawn. This apartment was also closer to the Aloha Marketing office as well, and on most days Quinn walked the twenty minutes to work.

For her part, despite all of the things that did not go right in Chicago, Santana did pick up one thing from Quinn. She decided to think ahead a bit and do something that would stretch her mind and open up her options to career choices outside of surf instructor, fishing boat deckhand, and lifeguard. She enrolled in classes at the University of Hawaii, and started working towards a degree in Marine Biology. It was strange being back in school, she thought. Santana hadn't seen the inside of a classroom in over a decade, but she found that she actually enjoyed what she was studying, so she paid attention and studied hard. She thought about working at the Waikiki Aquarium when she graduated, or maybe even at Sea Life Park, in their rescue and rehabilitation program for wayward dolphins and other marine life. She even thought about maybe getting her master's degree and teaching at Kapiolani Community College. But right now, she thought, I have to get past this damn anatomy course.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In December, five months later after Quinn had moved to Hawaii, Santana came home one evening from class to find Quinn sitting on couch, looking sad. She sat on the couch next to Quinn and gave her a kiss.

"Baby, are you okay?" Santana asked Quinn.

"I miss home", Quinn said.

"Awww…baby, I'm sorry", Santana said. She reached over and nestled Quinn into her arms. "What do you miss about home, Q?"

"I don't know. Everything", Quinn said and pouted.

Santana knew that Quinn didn't miss everything about Chicago, but that she was just having an "I miss home" moment. Santana had experienced quite a few of those herself during her time in Chicago.

"I'm sorry baby", Santana said again, and nestled Quinn into her arms.

"Well, not everything, I guess", Quinn said. "But I do miss my friends, my mom, deep dish pizza, hot dogs, seeing snow for Christmas…" Quinn trailed off. She had agreed with Santana to spend the holidays in Hawaii with Santana's ohana. It was her first holiday season away from home, and she was feeling homesick.

"Well, okay. Your friends and mother I can't do much about, but I do have a surprise for you", Santana said. "I'll be right back." She kissed Quinn, got up off the couch, grabbed her car keys and went out to the car. She came back a minute later.

"Whoaaaaa!" Quinn's jaw dropped.

In Santana's hands was a large frozen deep dish pizza from Gino's. "I just picked it up from my aunt's", Santana said. She had anticipated that, since the holidays were approaching, Quinn might start feeling homesick, so she had ordered a frozen pizza online to bring Quinn a taste of home. "I ordered it like a week ago and had it delivered there. I was going to deliver it here, to the apartment, but I didn't want the doorman in the lobby to eat it", Santana said and smiled.

"Oh my God, baby, that's soooo awesome!" Quinn cooed. She wasn't sure if she was more excited about the pizza itself or that Santana had thought enough to realize that Quinn may have been missing Chicago and therefore took it upon herself to get Quinn a little taste of home. She got up off the couch and took the pizza from Santana. She set it on the small dining table and then came back to Santana and wrapped her arms around Santana's neck. Santana's arms went around Quinn's waist, and Quinn leaned in and kissed Santana. "Thank you, hon", she said, her voice full of appreciation.

"You're welcome, baby", Santana said. She kissed her girlfriend back and then said, "So…you hungry?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Ow!" Quinn said, as she picked herself up off of the slope. "That hurt."

It was the weekend after Santana had brought Quinn the deep dish pizza. For the second part of the cure for Quinn's "I miss home" moment, Santana had bought two plane tickets to the Big Island so they could go snowboarding on Mauna Kea. At 13,700 feet, Mauna Kea was the highest point in all of Hawaii, and the only snow resort on the islands. Quinn and Santana had left Friday afternoon. They flew an hour to Hilo, on the east coast of the Big Island, and spent the night in a hotel, then rented a car and drove 90 minutes to Mauna Kea on Saturday morning. They had rented snowboards and snow suits for the day, and had been on the slopes for about three hours.

"Awww…baby", Santana said. "Are you okay?"

"My butt hurts", Quinn said and pouted.

"Awww…I'll massage it later and make it feel better", Santana said and winked.

"God, I suck at this", Quinn said. Growing up, she had gone skiing a bunch of times at the winter resorts in Wisconsin, but this was her first time trying snowboarding. Santana told her that her ability to surf would help her pick it up, but Quinn was finding snowboarding a lot harder than surfing. Plus, it hurt more when she fell. Santana wasn't nearly as good at snowboarding as she was a surfing, but at least she wasn't falling every thirty seconds.

"Well, I know you said you missed seeing snow, so at least today you get to see a lot of it, often, up close and personal", Santana joked.

"Whatever, ass", Quinn said and stuck out her tongue.

Santana laughed. "C'mon, baby. You're doing good. You'll get the hang of it." She helped Quinn up, gave her a kiss for encouragement, and then lead them down the hill.

They spent the rest of the day snowboarding and then drove to Kailua-Kona, on the west coast of the island. Their plan was to stay the night in Kona and then wake up early to go marlin fishing on the famed Kona coast in the morning, then head back to Honolulu on an afternoon flight.

"Did you know", Santana asked Quinn as they were driving down from Mauna Kea to Kailua-Kona, "that the Big Island of Hawaii may be the only place in the world where it's actually possible to snowboard, surf, and catch a thousand pound marlin all in one day?"

"No", Quinn said. She thought about that for a moment. "Wow, that's pretty cool."

Santana looked at her and smiled, as she and Quinn drove west down the mountain towards a beautiful Kona sunset. Wow, Quinn thought, as she looked at the burning orange globe sinking into the ocean. As the last of the sun sank below the horizon, the clouds in the sky burst into brilliant hues of red, orange and purple. That's pretty cool, too.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A year after Quinn's move to Hawaii, Quinn and Santana had pretty much fully adjusted to life together on the island. They went to their jobs and classes during the weekdays. On Quinn's part, the pay at Aloha Marketing was considerably less than what she had been making at Digitalworks, and that, coupled with the general high cost of living in Hawaii, meant a reduction in lifestyle extravagance. That meant less clothes shopping, a less expensive car, less vacations, and less going out to restaurants and clubs. But, as time passed, Quinn noticed less of what she was missing and began to really enjoy her less-material life on the islands. She enjoyed rarely worked past 5pm and having dinner together with Santana every night. Quinn loved cooking and had come to really enjoy stretching her cooking skills at home with the local ingredients, as opposed to constantly going out to eat. One of the things that Quinn realized about herself was that her desire to go out and spend money when she lived in Chicago seemed to have been tied to the fact that she used to work long hours. It was almost as if working so many hours created a need in her to have to go out in order to blow off steam. It was amazing what you could do with so much free time when you're not working all the time, Quinn thought. She loved spending the time to cook at home, and the food just tasted so much fresher here, she thought, as she incorporated fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables into their daily meals. They had weekly dinners at Emma's with the ohana. Quinn became friends with Sam, and she found that even Puck, despite his intimidating appearance and sometimes coarse demeanor, was pleasant to be around. On the weekends, Quinn and Santana spent most of their time surfing, fishing and hiking. Santana showed Quinn some of the more off-the-beaten-path hiking trails, and the two of them would often explore a trail, and in doing so each other, for an entire day, and sometimes for an entire weekend. Quinn had become quite an avid surfer, and even though she was nowhere near as good as Santana, she worked her way up to riding some of the larger breaks. When the lineup was heavy, Puck and his crew would block for her and make sure she got some good waves. Quinn had also become quite a fishing enthusiast, and she often accompanied Santana, John John, and John John's brother, whose name, Quinn finally discovered, was Kurt, on their fishing trips. To date, Quinn's largest catch was a one hundred and fifty six pound _ahi_ yellowfin tuna, and on another trip she had helped Santana wire and gaff a four hundred pound marlin after a two hour battle that had John John sweating it out in the fighting chair and Kurt at the helm. Boating the huge beast had given Quinn an adrenaline rush the likes of which she had never felt, and as she had looked around at her boat mates, she had thought with a smile, _these _are the best work partners I've ever had.

Life was good for Quinn and Santana on the islands, but there were just a few more milestones to come...


	28. Chapter 28

So, this is going to be it for this story. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much once again for reading.

Epilogue 2

_**6 months later:**_

"So, how does it feel to be back?" Quinn asked.

Quinn and Santana were at the Sears Tower, the tallest building in Chicago. A year and a half had passed since Quinn had moved to Hawaii. They were standing on the observatory deck, at the top of the building, which afforded them a spectacular 360 degree view of the entire city.

"It feels…good. I mean, you know, I was a little nervous to come back, since, well…my experience living here wasn't so great, but now that _we_ are happily together" she nudged Quinn, who smiled, "I'm enjoying my visit", Santana said, "even though it's cold". This was Santana's first visit back to Chicago since she had left. Quinn had come back eight months earlier in the spring to visit her mother and friends. Santana had not come back with her on that visit, partly because of school, and partly because she wasn't sure if visiting Chicago would bring back unpleasant memories and feelings that she wasn't yet ready to face. But, after eight more months, Santana realized that she _should_ be able to visit, and since she and Quinn had spent the previous holiday season in Hawaii, they were now spending the holidays in Chicago with their friends and Quinn's mother. They had taken the first few days to visit some of their old haunts. Snow was on the ground, baseball season was long gone, and it was too cold to go to the zoo, but they did go to the aquarium and the Art Institute. Yesterday, Quinn and Santana had split up to go shopping. Quinn had told Santana she needed to shop for Santana's Christmas present. Quinn saying that reminded Santana that she actually needed to shop for Quinn's present as well, so the two lovers went their separate ways for the day. Quinn met up with Rachel and Santana went with Brittany and Bree. The two parties had met up in the evening at Gino's for dinner.

"Well, I'm glad, hon", Quinn said. She moved behind Santana and put her arms around Santana's waist. They both looked out onto the east view, over the loop and onto the lake. Quinn nuzzled the back of Santana's neck, and Santana sighed contently and smiled. "Hey", Quinn said, "Want me to show you a cool trick?"

"What kind of trick?" Santana said.

"You know how the Sears Tower is like the tallest building in Chicago, right?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, you told me that when we came up here."

"Well, there's like this cool optical illusion thing that you can do up here. I can't really explain what it is, but you just have to see for yourself. If you do it, you'll feel like you're floating over the city", Quinn said.

"Uh…okay", Santana said, a little confused, but also intrigued. "So, how does it work?"

"First – you have to close your eyes", Quinn said. Santana did so, and Quinn let go of her from behind. "Keep them closed for like thirty seconds."

"Okay", Santana said, and started counting to thirty. She got to thirty and then said, "Okay, now what?"

"Open your eyes and look down", Quinn said.

Santana opened her eyes and looked down. And her jaw dropped.

Quinn was in front of her, down on one knee. In the palm of her right hand was a small box, and in the box was an engagement ring. Two arched dolphins joined together comprised the ring itself. A small diamond was on top. Santana gasped, and Quinn smiled. A Christmas present wasn't the only thing that Quinn had gotten Santana yesterday. A crowd had started to gather.

"Santana Lopez", Quinn began. "Just over a year and a half ago, I met you on a beach in Hawaii. You saved my life. Literally. Three months after we met, you saved my life again. Not physically that time, but you saved something just as important. You showed me what _living_ life is really all about. Since then, you have been the most important person in my world. My happiness. My inspiration. My love. I love you so much, and I can't imagine my life without you."

Santana stood there in shock. She couldn't believe this was happening. She put her hands to her mouth, and tears of joy started pouring out of her eyes. Quinn looked up at Santana and thought about how, when Santana had taken her surfing for the first time, Santana had told her she had a trick to help her stand up on the board, and then Santana had leaned in to kiss her while they were floating on their boards in the water, the swell gently rising and falling beneath them. Quinn thought about how she just told Santana that she had a "cool trick" to show her, and she silently congratulated herself on the clever setup and tie-in.

"Santana Lopez", Quinn said and paused. "Will you marry me?"

Santana stood there motionless for a moment longer, then removed her hands from her mouth and extended her left hand towards Quinn. "Y-y-y-yes!", she squeaked out. Quinn smiled the widest smile of her life, then took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Santana's finger. It fit perfectly. Santana let out a small gasp as Quinn slid the ring on, then turned her hand a few times to admire it. She looked at Quinn. Quinn was right, she thought. I do feel like I'm floating. I'm on top of the world right now.

Quinn rose and put her arms around Santana's waist, as Santana's arms went around Quinn's neck. "I love you, beautiful", Quinn said.

"I love you too, baby", Santana said back.

Then Quinn leaned in to kiss Santana, and the observatory deck broke into applause.

_**6 months later:**_

"Baby, are you ready? We're going to be late", Santana called into the bedroom from the living room.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming", Quinn called from the bedroom. Santana smiled a bit and laughed to herself. Quinn was nervous. Santana thought back to the night in Chicago when she and Quinn had gone to dinner with all of Quinn's friends so Santana could meet them all for the first time, and how nervous she had been. Now, it was Quinn's turn to be nervous, and Santana didn't blame her.

Quinn came out of the bedroom. She was wearing a black clubbing dress and black high heels. Santana was wearing a dark red clubbing dress and matching dark red heels.

"Baby – we don't have to go, if you really don't want to", Santana said.

"No, I'll go. I mean, I want to go. Or, I mean, I want to be able to go. Or, I mean, I want to be able to want to go. Or something. I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying." Santana didn't say anything, so Quinn took a deep breath. I should be able to do this. After two years, I should be able to do this. She squared her shoulders and said, "Okay, I'm ready to go. Okay. Let's go."

Santana smiled at her reassuringly. She and Quinn were on their way to Blaisdell Arena, the largest concert venue in Honolulu, to See Tina's band play. Almost a year after Santana had met Tina, Tina had been hanging out at a bar in Chicago, when she was approached by two patrons who worked at an advertising agency. They were filming a commercial for Budweiser, and they were looking for talent who looked like they played in a rock band. Tina auditioned for a part in the commercial and landed it. While they were filming, she got to talking with the producer of the commercial, and she gave him her band's demo CD. The producer passed it along to one of his friends who was a talent scout at Interscope Records in Los Angeles. The scout was impressed with the music and flew out to see Tina's band play at Metro in Chicago. The scout flew the band to Los Angeles two weeks later to meet the head of A&R, and the band signed a record deal. They spent the next six months writing and recording their major label debut album, and then the label but them on tour, and they had been on tour ever since. Now, Blackheart, as Tina's band was called, were supporting Green Day on a world tour that was taking them across the Americas and then over to Hawaii, Asia, Australia and Europe. Santana had overheard some people a month ago at school talking about a hot new band with a female Asian bass player that was coming to Hawaii on tour with Green Day, and something had clicked. She went online and verified that it was in fact Tina who they had been talking about. Santana hadn't spoken with Tina since she had left Chicago, two years ago, but she emailed Tina through the band's website to say congratulations. To Santana's surprise, Tina responded within an hour. The two women traded emails for a week, catching up with each other, and then Tina had asked Santana if she wanted some free tickets and backstage passes to see Blackheart play when they came to Hawaii. Santana had wanted to go, but she had to ask Quinn. She had been nervous about bringing it up, and she was prepared for Quinn to say no, if not become upset altogether, but Quinn surprised her by saying that, not only would she be alright if Santana went, but that she would like to go herself as well. Now, they were just about out the door, but Quinn had been on edge the whole day. Santana understood and had given Quinn multiple chances to back out, but Quinn finally seemed to have squared it away in her own mind that she was going to go. I need to go, Quinn thought. I need to make sure that I'm over this. Santana took Quinn's hand, and they walked out the front door.

"Just, promise me…that you're not going to run off with a rock star tonight…" Quinn trailed off, mostly joking but there was still a small part of her that was a bit insecure.

Santana stopped them and turned to look at Quinn. "Baby – I'm not going to run off with anybody…except you", she said. Quinn smiled slightly, and Santana gave her a prolonged kiss for affirmation.

They walked to the arena, which was less than half a mile from their apartment. They got their tickets and backstage passes from will call and entered the arena. Tina had reserved prime seats for them, front row on the mezzanine level. It provided them with a great view of the stage, and it was off the crowded main floor. Quinn and Santana took their seats and looked around. The average age of the attendees seemed to be somewhere in high school, and the air was heavy with smoke.

"I haven't been to a concert like this in ages" Quinn said. "God, I feel old."

"I hear you, baby", Santana said. "I haven't been here in like fifteen years. I think the last time I was here, I was the age that most of these kids here are." Quinn smiled a God-we're-getting-old smile, and Santana leaned over to give her a kiss. As she did, the lights went down, and the crowd roared to life.

"Good evening, Honolulu!" A voice boomed through the arena. "We are Blackheart, from Chicago Illinois!"

"Woohoo!" Santana cheered. She grabbed Quinn's hand, stood up, and raised her free hand in the air.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After the show, Quinn and Santana walked over to the stage. They showed their passes to security and were ushered into the backstage area. They were in a reception area with about fifty other people milling around when Santana heard Tina's voice.

"Hey guys!" Tina said as she walked over. She smiled wide at both Santana and Quinn. Santana wasn't sure if she should hug Tina, so she extended her hand, and Tina shook it.

"Tina, this is Quinn", Santana said.

"Nice to meet you, Quinn", Tina said, her voice cheerful.

"Nice to meet you too, Tina. Great show, by the way", Quinn said, and she meant it. The band really was very good.

"Thank you, Quinn", Tina said appreciatively.

"Yeah, it was great", Santana said. "You guys have really come a long way. I mean, you guys were good when I first saw you in Chicago, but now…I mean, you guys are like professionals."

"Awww, thanks. I'm so glad you guys came", Tina said, genuinely happy that both Santana _and_ Quinn had attended. "Oh yeah - I hear congratulations are in order", she said, pointing at the ring on Santana's finger. Santana had told Tina in their email exchanges about Quinn proposing at the top of the Sears Tower.

"Tina!" A male voice cut through the noise in the reception area. The women looked over and saw a man in a jacket with a bow tie, slicked back hair, motioning to Tina. "Photo op in the dressing room in 5 minutes, then we're heading to the merch area to sign autographs."

"Okay, I'm coming", Tina yelled back. She turned back to Quinn and Santana. "That's Blaine, the band manager. He's got us on a short leash." She gave an apologetic smile.

"Well, it looks like you're busy, so we'll let you get back to it", Santana said. "But…it was a great show, and it was so nice to see you again." She went to hug Tina, but then looked at Quinn.

Quinn looked at Santana, and then rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, hon, it's totally fine if you hug Tina in front of me."

Santana and Tina both laughed, and Santana wrapped Tina up in a hug. They broke the hug, and then Tina went to hug Quinn.

"Thank you, Quinn", Tina said, as Quinn pulled her in.

As they were ear to ear, Quinn whispered, "I think it would be great if you would stand on Santana's side at our wedding." Tina pulled back, a look of shock on her face. Quinn winked and took Santana's hand, and the two of them turned around and walked away.

"What did you say to her, baby?" Santana asked. She had registered Tina's shocked look as Quinn and Tina had finished hugging.

Quinn smiled and gave Santana a kiss. "I'll tell you later, hon", she said.

_**10 months later:**_

"Congratulations hon", Quinn said, as she hugged Santana and gave her a kiss. "I'm so proud of you."

"Awww, thank you, baby", Santana said. They were on the open green at the University Of Hawaii, just outside the admissions hall. Santana stood in front of Quinn and Emma, wearing her black cap and gown. After her first semester in college, Santana had entered an accelerated program and had graduated from UH in 3 years with her Bachelors degree in Marine Biology. Quinn, being the nerd that she is, was ecstatic that Santana had found an educational pursuit that she enjoyed, and she had supported Santana's decision to stop working so she could concentrate on school full time. Quinn made enough at Aloha Marketing to support both of them while Santana crushed her way through the accelerated program. A month before her graduation, Santana had lined up a job at Sea Life Park, working in their rescue and rehabilitation program for local marine life gone astray.

"Congratulations keiki", Emma said and hugged Santana. She looked at Santana and smiled with pride.

"Thanks, Auntie", Santana said. "You know, it only took me 14 years to graduate college, but, well, some people just take longer than others", she said, looking at Quinn, then smiled.

Quinn laughed, and Emma said, "Awww, keiki. It doesn't matter how long it takes. The most important thing is that you enjoy what you're doing."

"Absolutely", Quinn agreed. The three of them hugged, and then walked to the car to head back to Emma's for Santana's graduation celebration. John John and Kurt were bringing fresh Mahi Mahi, Puck was already there, making Kalua Pork and lau lau. He had started cooking in the early morning. It was going to be a good party, Quinn thought.

_**2 months later:**_

"Hey, how do you feel?" Quinn asked.

Quinn and Santana were sitting in a rental car in Universal City, just outside of San Antonio. They had flown from Hawaii yesterday morning. They had arrived late last night local time and had stayed in a hotel near the airport. They had slept in this morning and were now parked on the street right outside of Santana's old house. It was the house in which Santana had grown up for the first fifteen years of her life. She hadn't seen it since she had left for Hawaii.

Santana sat silent for a moment and then said, "I think I'm okay." Quinn was holding Santana's hand, and she squeezed it for support. Santana looked over at Quinn, and Quinn leaned in to give her a kiss.

"It's okay, hon", Quinn said. "I'm here for whatever you need me for."

Santana tried to smile. Then she took a deep breath, put on a brave face, and said, "Okay, I'm ready." She opened her car door and stepped out. Quinn got out, walked around the car and took Santana's hand. Santana stepped onto the sidewalk and then walked halfway up the driveway. She looked at the two story red brick house with white trim. It looked pretty much the same as it had when she had left. She looked at the front door and imagined her father sitting on the front steps, watching her as she played in the front yard as a child. She looked up to the second floor and imagined her mother smiling and waving at her from her bedroom window as she had every day when Santana left for school in the morning. She looked at the window above the garage and imagined herself in her old bedroom, laying on her bed and listening to music. Tears started to well up in Santana's eyes, and Quinn let go of her hand, pulled her into a hug and held her tight.

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

Quinn and Santana looked up. An elderly man was standing in the front doorway of the house. It took Santana a moment to realize that she had walked up to the middle of the driveway and was now standing on property that currently belonged to someone else.

"Oh no, it's okay", Quinn said, as cheerfully as she could.

"I-I-I used to live here, in this house", Santana said. "I'm just…showing her around the old neighborhood", she said, pointing to Quinn. "Reminiscing…" Santana mumbled, trailing off.

"Oh, well, okay", the elderly man said and smiled. "Well, it's a nice community", the man said, making chit chat. Santana smiled slightly, and the man bade them farewell. "Have a nice day", he said, then went back inside and shut the door.

Santana and Quinn stood there for a few minutes, and then Santana said, "I think I'm ready to go."

"Okay, hon", Quinn said. She took Santana's hand and gave her a kiss, then lead her back to the car. She opened Santana's door for her and then got in the driver's side and headed off to the next location. They drove for ten minutes and then pulled up to Holy Cross Cemetery. Quinn stopped the car and then looked at Santana. "Do you want company, or do you want to go alone?"

Santana bit her lip. "No, I want company", she said. They got out of the car, and Quinn took Santana's hand again. They walked for a minute and then came to two headstones. Santana let go of Quinn's hand. She stared in silence for a few minutes at the two headstones she hadn't seen in eighteen years, and the tears welled up again in her eyes. She knelt down before the headstones and began to speak.

"Hi Mama, hi Papa. I'm here. I'm sorry I haven't been here in so long. I-I-I was just…well, it hurt so bad, when you guys went away, that I followed Auntie Emma to Hawaii, and well…I just never returned. I hid there for a long time. I was too scared to come back. But then, three years ago, I met someone." She looked at Quinn. "She taught me how to be brave again. How to face my fears. And, most importantly, she taught me how to love again." Tears started to fall from Santana's eyes and she looked back at the headstones. "She's the most wonderful person in the world. I'm sorry you're not around to meet her, but I know you would really like her, and she has promised to take good care of me." Quinn was crying now as well, and she knelt down next to Santana and put her arms around her. Santana stared at the ground right in front of the headstones for a few minutes in silence and then said, "So, I'm going to go now. But I want you to know that I love you guys, and I think of you often." Santana sat there for another minute in silence and then said, "Okay, bye Mama. Bye Papa." Santana got up and kissed each headstone once. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and then she turned to Quinn. Quinn pulled her in and they hugged for a full five minutes. Then Quinn took Santana's hand and lead her back to the car.

"Are you okay, hon?" Quinn asked when they got back in the car.

Santana sat for a moment and then looked at Quinn and smiled slightly. "Yeah", she said. "Yeah, I think I actually am okay."

They drove to the airport, dropped off the rental car, and hopped the 4pm flight back to Honolulu.

_**6 months later:**_

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss the bride", the officiant proudly announced. Quinn leaned in to kiss Santana and the attendees erupted into applause. They were on a beach just east of Diamond Head, the same beach where Santana had taken Quinn on her first surfing trip. It was a small ceremony for just ohana. Most of the attendees were locals from Santana's side. Judy, Rachel, Brittany, Bree and Tina had flown in from Chicago. Rachel, Brittany and Bree stood up on Quinn's side. Judy had walked Quinn down the sand. Sam, Puck and Tina stood up on Santana's side. Emma had walked Santana down the sand. Fifty or so people sat on chairs set up on the beach, facing the wedding party, who were positioned against a backdrop of sparkling turquoise water. It was a beautiful December day in Hawaii, 76 degrees, the sun shining, a slight breeze blowing.

Santana and Quinn continued to kiss for another minute, and then Santana broke the kiss. She was wearing a dressy red sarong and matching heels. She looked at Quinn and said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, so much", Quinn said back. She was wearing a traditional wedding dress with conservative matching white heels.

"So…are you ready?" Santana asked.

"Yeah!" Quinn said, excitedly, and her eyes lit up.

Santana looked at Quinn for another moment and then said, "Alright – let's do it." She grabbed Quinn's hand and then looked at the audience. "Thank you all so much. We'll be back onshore in ten minutes!" Then she lead Quinn by the hand, and the two of them took off running towards the water, ditching their shoes in the process. They neared the waterline, grabbed the two waiting surfboards, jumped into the water and paddled out to take a celebratory ride with their wedding dresses still on, their first ride together as a married couple.

_**3 years later:**_

Santana sat on the beach, staring out at the ocean. It's like it had all been a dream, she thought. A crazy, sometimes stressful, sometimes confusing, but in the end, thoroughly wonderful dream.

"Mama!"

Santana heard the voice and turned around to see Quinn and their daughter Leilani walking towards her down the sand. Santana got up and scooped Leilani into her arms.

"Hi keiki", Santana said. She gave Leilani a kiss and then turned to Quinn. "Hi baby", she said. She gave Quinn a kiss as well.

"Hi hon", Quinn said back and smiled. She was carrying a tote bag with stuff for their picnic. They were on Makapu'u Beach, just across the street from Sea Life Park, where Santana was now the assistant director for their rescue and rehabilitation program for wayward local marine life. She had gotten off work early, and Leilani and Quinn had come to meet her for an afternoon picnic. Quinn was still working at Aloha Marketing, and it was times like this when she really appreciated the office's flexible schedule. She had gotten the call from Santana just a few hours ago and had pushed all of her meetings and afternoon work to tomorrow. Quinn spread out the blanket and then started pulling out the food: mango and pineapple fruit salad, lau lau, and Leliani's favorite, Spam Musubi. Leilani grabbed a Spam Musubi from Quinn's hand and started to eat.

"_Ono"_ delicious, Leilani said through a mouthful of food.

"Leilani Fabray-Lopez, don't talk with your mouth full", Quinn scolded lightly.

Santana looked at her. Quinn was a wonderful mother, she thought. Then she looked at Leilani and smiled. She and Quinn had wanted a hapa child for their first born, so they had agreed to have Quinn carry her and find a Hawaiian donor. Leilani had Quinn's facial features and green eyes but Santana's dark hair and complexion. She was absolutely adorable.

"How was your day?" Quinn asked Santana as she sat down on the blanket.

"It was good", Santana replied. "We have a new wolphin we've been working with."

"Wolphin?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's a cross between a killer whale and a dolphin", Santana said.

Quinn laughed. "It sounds like a creature from a Hawaiian science fiction movie."

Santana laughed too. "I know, it totally does."

"Wolphin! Wolphin!" Leilani repeated.

"Uh oh", Quinn said. "A new word."

"Yup", Santana shook her head, laughing. "We'll be hearing that one constantly for, oh, I'd say about another week." Leilani was at the age where she was picking up new words left and right, and she loved to repeat them until the next one came along.

"So, um, how are you feeling?" Quinn asked Santana. She put her hand to Santana's stomach.

"Pretty good", Santana said, "but I am really starting to notice the extra weight."

Santana was carrying their second child. She and Quinn had agreed that Santana would carry this one, since Quinn had carried Leilani. They had also agreed that they wanted their children to be related, so they had used the same donor. Santana was thirty weeks along. That would put Leilani and Kalani, as they had named their soon-to-be-born son, just under three years apart, which is the age difference they wanted.

"Oh! Did you see that?" Santana put her arm around Leilani. Leilani looked up, and Santana pointed towards the horizon. "There are whales out there, keiki."

"Whales! Whales!" Leilani repeated, her face excited, as she tried to spot them.

"Keep looking, keiki", Santana instructed. Quinn, Santana and Leilani all kept their eyes to the water, and then seconds later two humpback whales breached a few hundred yards offshore.

"I saw them! I saw them!" Leilani shouted.

"You did?!" Santana said excitedly, and kissed Leilani on the head. Quinn looked at Santana and smiled. She was a wonderful mother, Quinn thought.

Leilani continued to look out into the water, eating her Spam Musubi. In the distance a lone surfer rode a wave.

"Mommy, what that person doing?"

"Surfing, keiki", Quinn said.

Leilani was silent for a moment and then said, "I want to surf, Mommy".

Quinn looked at Leilani and then looked at Santana. "Just like her Mama", she said and smiled.

Santana smiled back and then said, "No." She leaned over Leilani and gave Quinn a kiss. "She's better. Because she's just like you."

Quinn smiled at Santana and gave her a kiss back. Then, she and Santana turned their heads and joined Leilani in looking out towards the ocean. They stayed like that, talking, eating, and staring out into the water until the sun went down, a brilliant orange globe, sinking into the horizon.

_**THE END**_

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

So, that's it for the story. I just have some thoughts and notes below. Again – I am out of story ideas, so feel free to send me ideas, and if I feel like I can do one justice, I will write a story around it. A couple things I could try, based on this story - maybe either an alt Santina ending, or maybe a glimpse into the future around Quinn and Santana raising both of their children. Please let me know thoughts. Thanks again!

**Author's Note:**

Thank you all so much for reading this story. I really appreciate all of the reviews and PMs. I just wanted to touch on some things regarding this story.

As some of you noted, this story involved some more mature themes. I have received some requests to write a story about Santana and Quinn being younger and falling in love, but there are many good stories on FF that revolve around that, so I decided to go a slightly different route. Also, at the risk of dating myself, the topics in this story are more in line with things that I have faced in the last few years, so I figured I would be able to draw on real-life experiences to write a more detailed and accurate story.

One of the themes in this story involves making tough choices, particularly in the area of balancing career versus personal life. I think this is a challenge that many of us face, especially as we get a bit older. It's important to find a balance between those two, and often times we forgo our personal lives in favor of career. Of course, we all have to make a living, but it's important to remember that, even with busy work lives, we owe it to the people in our personal lives to be there for them. This is the struggle that Quinn faced. She got caught up in her work life and neglected Santana, to the point where the thing that was most important to her, their relationship, almost slipped away, and almost too late she realized her mistake. Unfortunately sometimes it takes a tragedy, or at the very least a severe circumstance, to make us realize what's truly important, and we need to caution ourselves to make sure that we don't let things reach that point. Like the song says, you don't know what you got till it's gone. Also, when it comes to showing people that we care, we need to make sure that we are showing it, and not just saying it. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

Going along with that is the theme of how hard it can be to break old habits. As most of us probably know, breaking old habits can be hard, even when we know that we should. This was particularly true for Quinn. She knew that she needed to spend more time with Santana in Chicago, but she had been dominated by work for so long, that putting love first was such a foreign concept to her, and, even though she knew she should have put more effort into her relationship with Santana, she eschewed that and defaulted to going with what she knew – putting work first to get to the top.

Another theme in the story revolves around this premise: human beings are complex, and they don't always act the way we think they will. Sometimes, people may do things that they themselves don't even understand. Also, life itself is not always straightforward, and when you put complex human beings into challenging and/or confusing situations, they may act in ways that don't make sense to others, or even to themselves. In Santana's case, being lonely, confused and unsatisfied in her relationship with Quinn made her do things with Tina that, had her relationship with Quinn been going well, probably would have never happened. But if we look at our own lives, I'm pretty sure we can safely say that everyone has, at one time or another, done something that has made people around them raise an eyebrow. Also, having an attraction doesn't necessarily mean that physical interaction will ensue. For Santana, besides Tina being cute in a rock n' roll way, part of her attraction to Tina was that Tina reminded her of home, and that, coupled with the fact that Tina was the one person in Chicago who Santana didn't associate with Quinn, caused Santana to be attracted to her. Along those lines, Quinn was attracted to Kitty in the sense that she thought Kitty was physically attractive, and she was also attracted to Kitty's determination and passion for marketing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Quinn was going to cheat with Kitty. I know a lot of readers thought that Kitty and Quinn were going to hook up, but that was never in the cards. The important thing to remember is that we as human beings may not be able to help who we are attracted to, but we can help what we do with our feelings and how we act on them, and acting responsibly is one of the true marks of being an adult.

On a related topic of seeing people do things that make us go "hmmm", I think we all have either had someone in our own lives who others thought we would be better off without, or we have at least know someone who has had someone in his or her life that we thought he or she would be better off without. It could be a significant other, a work partner, or a band mate. It could be a friend, or even a family member. Everyone else sees this person as a bad influence, and this person can even manipulate the person we know into behaving in ways he or she ordinarily wouldn't, but the person we know sticks with this other person for reasons only they know or because of a connection only they feel. In Quinn's case, that person was Kitty. Kitty is obviously not the kindest character in the story, but nonetheless Quinn kept her around. Again, they were a great work team, and since work had been so important to Quinn, she looked past all of the negative qualities of Kitty and focused on the fact that they worked well together, making her blind to the fact that Kitty was in love with her and was hell-bent on sabotaging her relationship with Santana. Again, this comes down to the fact that, sometimes it's easier to see something from the outside looking in, as opposed to when you yourself are actually in the situation. I know that I have done things that I thought were right, but everyone around me thought were wrong. Sometimes those things ended up being wrong. And sometimes they ended up being right.

Yet another theme this story explored was taking chances, and how putting yourself out there, as risky as it is sometimes, can bring you what you want most. For Santana, her ability to finally return to the mainland, and ultimately return to San Antonio to visit her old house and her parents' graves, allowed her to get closure on her parents' untimely deaths. For Quinn, taking the chance to move to Hawaii to be with Santana gave her the opportunity to get what was most important to her, which was saving her relationship with Santana, and that is something that would not have happened had she not taken the chance. The bottom line here is: don't be afraid to take chances. They could lead to more than you could ever dream. Also, tied into this theme in the story is the power of love. Call me a sucker, but I truly do believe that being in love can overpower anything else in one's life. Santana being in love with Quinn helped her overcome the pain of her past, and Quinn being in love helped her make the transition to a totally new life from the one she had always known.

A final thought: I know that many of you were at times incredulous as to what was happening in the story, particularly in the times when Kitty would run her mouth. Many readers thought that Quinn should have put her in her place much earlier than she did. As I said at the start of some chapters, some of the happenings in the story were exaggerated or unrealistic, but it makes for good story. Again, I'm a sucker for Hollywood, and I think the best stories straddle the line between realism and forcing the reader to suspend enough disbelief to edge into the fantastic. Think about watching a movie about someone's everyday life. She wakes up, brushes her teeth, takes a shower, goes to work, comes home, eats dinner, watches some TV, and goes to bed. That's not very exciting. Now, think about watching a movie where the villain gets caught after her first devious act. That wouldn't be very exciting, either. The movie would be over in the first ten minutes. What makes the movie exciting is to see the villain perform multiple acts of increasing deviousness, all the while being chased by the heroine, who comes so close so many times to catching the villain, only to have the villain slip through her grasp time and time again. That's what makes us, the viewers, want to see the villain fall. The more the villain gets away with being bad, the more we want to see her go down. When the heroine finally catches up to the villain and puts her in her place right as she is about to execute her most dastardly plan yet, the release of tension is so much more cathartic. Making the reader wait until the last minute to see Quinn put Kitty in her place was my way of turning up the tension, so when that finally happened, it was that much more rewarding than if Kitty had stopped her conniving and insulting behavior after her first meeting with Santana.

Some final notes on me, and on this story.

I have lived in Hawaii and Chicago (among other cities). I chose to set the story in these cities because I know them both well. I also chose them because they suited the purpose of representing two different lifestyles. I, of course, generalized in this story. Not everyone in Hawaii is laid back, and not everyone in Chicago is gung-ho on climbing to the top of the corporate ladder. I have met people in Hawaii who work 24/7, and I have met people in Chicago who live life one day at a time. Also, I received some PMs from readers who were upset that it seemed like I was portraying Chicago as a city of heartless people who don't care about anything but making money, and therefore assumed that I hate Chicago. I assure you, that was not my attention. I love Chicago, and I love Hawaii. One is not better than the other. They are just different (although I will argue that the weather in Hawaii is better, especially in the winter months).

Thank you again for reading.


	29. Chapter 29

So, after reviewing all of the feedback from Island Song, and also given the fact that I am currently out of Quinntana ideas, I thought it would be fun to write a Santina alt ending. I am going to make it its own separate story, since I haven't quite mapped it out all the way (although I have a pretty good idea of where it will go), and I'm not sure of exactly how many chapters it will have, but I thought I would post the first chapter here, so readers of Island Song would be aware of it. I will call it "California Dreaming – A Santina Alt Ending to Island Song". This alt ending will start at Chapter 20 of Island Song and spin off from there. FYI this chapter and the next few chapters of the alt ending will look familiar, since they contain parts from the corresponding chapters in Island Song, but they have more of Tina's perspective, since we have already seen Santana's perspective in Island Song on her meeting Tina.

_**WARNING FOR QUINNTANA FANS**_: this alt does _**NOT**_ have Quinntana as endgame. It has Santina as endgame.

_**ALSO PLEASE NOTE**_: This alt will continue as AU/OOC. As with Island Song, it will incorporate Glee characters, real people, places, and things, and they will run the gamut of true-to-life or true to the canonical world of Glee to only faintly resembling real life or Glee. Also, this story will continue with the same cast of characters from Island Song, plus adding some new ones.

_**IN ADDITION**_: Those who have read me are familiar that I tend to write more involved stories. I will try to keep this alt a bit lighter on the angst, but it will still contain some mature themes. Also, as I have mentioned before, please read the author's notes that I put at the beginning of each chapter.

Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you enjoy this alt ending!

Chapter 1

Tina pulled her car into the alley. She saw the "band van" already there, hazards flashing. The van, a 12 passenger Ford Econoline, belonged to Mike Chang, the lead singer of Wax Tadpole, the band in which Tina played bass. They were about to load their gear into the club for tonight's show. Tina looked at the van and lost herself in thought for a moment. She had joined the band almost two years ago. She had met the guys through a classified ad on Craigslist in the musicians section. They had jammed once, and the band had offered Tina the spot in the band as the bassist. She kind of thought of their music as a cross between Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins. Having grown up in southern California, Tina had come up through the California punk rock music scene, and was a big Green Day fan. The rest of the guys in the band were from Chicago, the hometown of Smashing Pumpkins. It was an interesting melding of musical styles, and Tina loved playing in Wax Tadpole. She liked everything about playing in the band – rehearsing, recording, promoting, playing shows. She loved the feeling of being part of a small group of people that made and played original music. There was something special about creating and playing music that no one else created or played. It was original. It was _yours._ She looked at the band van for a second longer, smiled, and then got out of her car.

"Hey Mike", Tina said. Mike was propping open the back door to Mother's so the band could load in their gear. He was the oldest member in the band, and kind of the unofficial band leader. He had grown up in one of the nice suburbs on the north shore of Chicago. His father, a successful investment banker, had wanted Mike to be a doctor. Mike had pursued music and dancing instead. These days, he and his father rarely spoke. As Tina looked at Mike, she thought, he really doesn't have the best voice, but he writes great songs, and he can dance and move onstage like it's nobody's business. She figured that David Lee Roth didn't have the best voice, but he could move onstage, and he made it big. When he wasn't playing in the band, Mike taught dance at a local arts and theater studio.

"Hey Tina. You ready to move some gear?"

"Sure", Tina replied.

"Ryder?" Mike called into the van.

"Oh, I suppose so", Ryder Lynn said and rolled his eyes as he hopped out of the front passenger side of the van. Ryder was the lead guitarist. He was a good-looking guy with a loud, heavy-riffing style and a sarcastic, tough guy attitude. He had played football in high school on the city's west side and had actually been offered a partial scholarship to play at a Division II college, but he had turned it down because, according to him, "I can get more chicks playing in a band, and it hurts less". He grabbed his guitar out of the back of the van and sarcastically said, "Loading gear – the best part of playing in a band." Ryder worked as a freelance graphic designer and made all of the band's flyers and CD artwork.

Rory Flanagan emerged from the back door and joined the jabs at loading gear. "Well, at least you guys aren't the drummer. I have more gear to carry than anyone." Rory hailed from the south side of Chicago and spoke with a "Chi-rish" accent, a mixture of Chicago and Irish accents, common among Chicago's large south side Irish population. The youngest member of the band, he was a second generation rock musician. His father, Harley, had played bass and sang in a notorious punk band in the 80s, and now owned a bar on the south side. Rory worked there when he wasn't playing with the band.

"Well guys", Tina said, "loading gear is all part of rock n' roll, right?" She squared her shoulders. "Alright, let's do this. The sooner we load in, the sooner we can set up and start rockin'!" Tina pulled her bass out of the trunk of her car and headed for the door. Mike looked at her and smiled. He liked Tina. She was always upbeat, even when they were engaged in some of the less fun parts of playing in a band, like loading gear or posting flyers in the rain. She was the ideal kind of band mate: talented and positive, not to mention attractive. Mike had thought about how, in some kind of alternate universe, he would have maybe ended up romantically linked to Tina, but Tina, as it turned out, liked women as much as the rest of the guys in the band did. After two years of playing in a band together, he and Tina were just band mates and good friends, and Mike was damn happy with that.

The band started pulling their gear into the club and setting it up on the stage. They had been working their way up the local music scene for two years and were finally starting to get some weekend gigs with good pay. Tonight was their first gig at Mother's, a vibrant club near downtown Chicago. Tina hauled her gear onto the stage and then took in the room. So, this was Mother's, she thought. She had heard of it but never been in it. It looked like the club consisted of two separate rooms: the live room, where the band played, which held maybe 400 people, and a bar area with karaoke up front. She peered into the front bar. It looked empty except for an attractive, dark skinned bartender with gorgeous black hair. Tina helped the band finish loading gear into the club, then she ran back out, parked her car, and came back in to set up. She pulled her 4x10 Gallien-Krueger bass cab to her side of the stage, set her 400 watt matching Gallien-Krueger head on top, plugged the head into the cab, and then plugged in her bass, a black Mexican-made Fender P-Bass with a white pick guard and a purple sticker that read "This Chick Rawks". She cranked up the amp and hit the low E string on her bass. The note rumbled throughout the room. Good, Tina thought. Everything still works. As a struggling local musician, it was always a small victory when you set up your equipment for a show and it all still worked. Then she licked her lips and thought, loading all of this gear has made me thirsty. Time to get a soda and maybe try to chat up the attractive bartender. She went to the bathroom, checked her appearance and then headed to the bar.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Santana was setting up the bar. This was her favorite time of the night, when the bar was empty. The quiet before the storm. She had been bartending at Mother's for a little over two weeks now, and this place was busier than she had originally thought it would be. Once she got slammed, it just never stopped. Plus, people here seemed more impatient. They had to get their drinks immediately. It wasn't like back home in Hawaii, where people would wait patiently for their drinks. It was like, people here weren't necessarily mean, but everyone wanted something in a hurry. I guess that's just Chicago, Santana thought. Life is just faster paced here, and I guess that applies to getting your drink on as well as everything else.

Tina approached the bar. Wow, she thought. The bartender is not just attractive - she's beautiful. She had an exotic look, almost like a cross between maybe Latina and part Pacific Islander or something. Tina's brother Chris had gone to college at the University of Hawaii. Tina had visited him once, and for some reason, this woman reminded her of a lot of the people she had seen there. She reached the bar and sat on a stool. I wonder what I should say to her, Tina thought. I mean, I'm naturally a little shy, and she's extremely attractive. She probably gets hit on all the time. Plus, I don't even know if she's into women. Oh well, Tina thought, I guess I'll just be my normal, friendly self and just see what happens. She looked at the bartender, who had her head down and was washing glasses. She was wearing a form-fitting black top, a blue skirt, and black boots with a low stacked heal. Tina was wearing a black choker, a black tank top with the word "Grindz" written in red letters across the front, a leather wristband, a studded leather belt, a black leather skirt, black fishnets, and black high heeled leather boots. She looked very rock n' roll, with almost a touch of goth.

"Hey there", Tina said and smiled. The bartender looked up. "May I get a soda from you, please?" Tina asked.

The bartender stared at her for a second and then smiled back. "Absolutely", she said. She poured Tina a soda and handed it to her.

Okay, she seems friendly, at least, Tina thought. What's a good next line? "And, whatever you're drinking", she said and smiled.

The bartender laughed slightly. "I uh, actually don't drink when I'm on duty", she explained, politely turning down the offer.

"Well, I don't either. I mean, when I perform. I don't drink alcohol when I perform", Tina said, hoping to draw a parallel.

"I guess that makes two of us", the bartender said.

What next? Tina thought. "So, can I buy you a soda?" Tina said and smiled. The bartender smiled back and then poured herself a soda.

"Cheers", Tina said and raised her glass. "To…not drinking when we work". The bartender smiled, and she and Tina clinked glasses.

Okay, well, she definitely seems friendly, Tina thought. Tina had been in and performed in many bars and clubs, and not all bar staff were friendly. "I'm Tina", she said, and stuck out her hand.

The bartender shook it. "Nice to meet you, Tina. I'm Santana", she said. "So, where are you from, Tina?"

"I'm from California. San Diego, to be exact. How did you know I'm not from here?" Tina asked.

"You said 'soda'. Everyone here says 'pop'."

Tina laughed. "I know, right? I just can't bring myself to say that word. It sounds so silly."

"I agree", Santana said and laughed.

"Wait, where are you from?" Tina asked. "You don't sound like you're from here. I hear an accent."

"I'm from Hawaii", Santana said.

"No way!" Tina exclaimed. I was right, she thought. For some reason, I just felt like she might be from there. "I thought maybe that's where your accent was from", she said. "My brother went to school at UH. He graduated last year. I visited him once when he was there. It's a magical place. Anyway, he got me this shirt. He tells me "grinds" is the local term there for good food."

"Yup, he's right. I actually noticed your shirt when you walked in." Santana smiled at Tina. "You remind me of home."

"Oh yeah?" Tina smiled back. "Do you miss it there?"

"Yeah. I do".

"When did you move here?" Tina asked.

"I moved here just over month ago."

"And…what brought you here?"

"I actually moved here to be with my girlfriend", Santana said.

"Oh, okay." That's a bummer, Tina thought. She's got a girlfriend. Well, I guess I won't be getting anywhere with her, but that's okay. I mean, I'm not looking to just hook up. Not everyone who plays in a rock band is, regardless of what people think. Plus, she seems really nice, and I like nice people. "And where is she tonight?" Tina asked.

"She's working."

"Oh, she works nights too? Does she work at a bar as well?"

"Actually, she works in marketing", Santana said.

Tina furrowed her brows. "Really? She works in marketing and she's working on a Friday night? Hmmm. My brother works in marketing. He usually doesn't work weekend nights. He usually works like normal people hours, like 9-5 or 6 Monday through Friday."

"Well, I thought that's the way it was supposed to be for her, too, when I moved here to be with her. But my girlfriend is working on a big project, so she's been working a lot of hours lately."

"Well, that's a bummer", Tina said. She heard a bit of something in Santana's voice. Frustration maybe? Or resentment? It must suck, she thought, to have moved all the way here from Hawaii for someone, only to have that someone not be around as much as you would like. Tina tried to sympathize. "I mean, you guys probably don't get to see each other that much then, with her working that much and your night hours, huh?"

Santana felt weird. She usually wouldn't talk about this with a stranger, but for some reason Tina was very easy to talk with. "No, not really. I mean, we haven't seen much of each other at all in the last two weeks. Actually, we haven't seen much of each other ever since I moved here. The shitty thing is, I moved here to be with her."

Tina frowned and again tried to commensurate. "And she couldn't take a Friday night off to come down and hang out with you?"

"No, I guess not".

Tina shook her head. "I don't know – sometimes I think these corporate types need to loosen up a bit and relax more, you know?" Tina had been dating a woman named Marley Rose for about six months. Marley was a corporate type – a financial planner. She had broken things off with Tina about a month ago. "They're always running the rat race." Tina and Santana both laughed. This woman gets it, Tina thought.

"Yeah, I hear you", Santana said. "I mean, I keep trying to tell her that, but, I don't know – she's just so focused on 'winning this big pitch' thing she's working on".

"Awww, that sucks", Tina said, again sympathetic. Now what? Tina thought. Shall I give it a shot? Just as friends? "Well hey – after I'm done playing, and you're done working, maybe we can have a drink. Like, an actual alcoholic one. You know, just a good drink and good company." Tina smiled.

Santana thought for a second and then said, "Yeah. I'd like that". She smiled back.

"Me too. Hey – what do I owe you for the 'pops'", Tina said, and they both laughed.

"Nothing. Those are on me."

"Okay, well, I'll get the next round."

"Alright. I'll hold you to that", Santana said and winked.

"Well, I'll let you get back to work." Tina smiled. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Santana said. Tina started to walk back towards the stage. "Hey!" Santana called. Tina turned around. "Break a leg. I'll be watching from here", Santana said and smiled. Tina smiled back, then turned around and walked towards the stage. Santana remained smiling and stared at her for a moment longer, then went back to setting up the bar.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tina was breaking down her gear. The night had gone well. The place had been packed, and the crowd had really liked the band. The club manager had paid them well, and they had sold a bunch of CDs and T-shirts. The one thing that had not gone well - well, not 'not well', but not according to plan, was that Tina hadn't been able to fully immerse herself in the performance. Throughout the whole night, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Santana. She had watched Santana from the stage while she was playing as Santana had poured drinks for the packed house. Tina had been hoping that Santana would have gotten a break at the same time that she had a break between sets so she could have chatted Santana up some more, but Santana had been slammed the entire night. Now, it was 4am and the bar was finally closing down. Tina put her bass in its case and walked up to the bar. "Hey Santana, how'd your night go?" she asked. "It was busy, huh?"

"My God, yes", Santana nodded and rolled her eyes. It had been packed since ten and had never let up.

"You still want to get that drink?" Tina asked. The moment of truth.

"Yes, definitely", Santana said, emphatically nodding her head. "Actually, Tina, is there a place you know of that had food as well as drinks?" Santana realized she hadn't eaten since lunch. She had skipped dinner since had been upset that Quinn had blown off dinner with her to work.

"Yep. I know a good low-key place", Tina said. "Diner style that serves beers. It's quiet. Does that work for you?"

"Sounds wonderful."

"Okay, let me load the rest of my gear and we'll rock out of here", Tina said with a smile.

"I can help you load if you want", Santana offered.

"Oh. That'd be great. Thank you", Tina said appreciatively. They loaded the rest of Tina's gear into her car together and left the bar. The diner was about ten minutes from the club. What am I thinking? Tina wondered to herself as she drove. This woman has a girlfriend. I mean, I'm not necessarily looking to bed Santana, but for some reason, I'm just so drawn to her. Yes, she's gorgeous, and obviously that's one reason I'm drawn to her, but there's more to it than that, Tina thought. She pulled up to the diner and parked the car.

"Hollywood Grill, huh?" Santana said as they walked up to the diner.

"Yup. Best place to grab a beer and a Polish sausage after hours." Tina smiled and held the door open for Santana. They were seated at a window booth, and the waitress brought them menus and two beers.

"Cool place", Santana said, as they sipped their beers.

"Yeah, I like it. We come here sometimes as a band after shows." This was a regular stop for the band after gigs. Tonight, though, Mike and Rory had decided to go home right after the show, and Ryder had hooked up with a girl who had been at the club. That was fine by Tina. She was happy to be alone here with Santana.

"You guys were great by the way", Santana said. They were kind of like a cross between Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins, Santana thought. It was a rocking' sound, and Tina was a really good bassist.

"Thanks. I really appreciate that." Tina smiled at Santana. Santana smiled back. She has a beautiful smile, Tina thought.

"So", Santana had to ask. "Do you have a boyfriend…or a girlfriend?" Tina didn't say anything, so Santana followed up with, "Or maybe, being a rock star and all, you'd just rather be single."

Tina smiled shyly and then said, "No. I was seeing someone until recently. We broke up about a month ago."

"Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"No, it's fine", Tina said. "She said I was too unfocused, not serious enough with my life. She's a financial planner. Has a job in a big office building downtown, makes good money, you know - that kind of thing. She said that I didn't have enough ambition or direction. Like, I'm 26, I should be thinking about getting a real job, as opposed to just playing music, yada yada yada. It was kind of like, she was really into dating a musician at first, but then when things got more serious, well…I don't know. I guess she just didn't see a future with me."

"Yeah, I hear you", Santana said and nodded her head in understanding. "It's like, for some reason, if you don't have a high powered job in the corporate world, then society looks at you like you're somehow less of a person, or something."

"Exactly", Tina said, emphatically. "I mean, I think we should enjoy life, do what we want, and not be so concerned with making it to the top and constantly spinning our wheels in the rat race. You know what I mean?"

Santana looked at Tina, and Tina looked back at Santana. She has the most amazing dark brown eyes, Tina thought. I could just fall right into them. Plus, it was refreshing to talk with someone new, someone who seemed to think like I do. She understands my point of view, that we should be working to live, not living to work. It sounds like what Santana is going through with her girlfriend may be similar to what I went through with Marley, Tina thought. Marley had always been so concerned with climbing the corporate ladder. That big salary, that corner office in that big downtown building. Why couldn't she just be content with enjoying life, like when we had first met? Tina continued thinking. It was like Marley, six months after she had taken Tina out on a date for dinner and drinks and dancing, had slowly but surely turned into a completely different person. Tina remembered when Marley had stopped wanting to go out so much. She remembered when Marley had told her to stop playing in the band and start thinking about her future. And she remembered when Marley broke up with her, as they were sitting on a bench in Millennium Park, saying she just didn't see a future together with her. God, Tina thought - it would have been nice if Marley had not been so worried about making it to the top. Tina snapped out of her thoughts, came back to the present and realized that Santana was staring at her. Maybe she was lost in thought too?

"Santana?" Tina asked. Her voice brought Santana, was actually was lost in her own thoughts, back to the present.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about what you said", Santana said. She looked at Tina and said, "I couldn't agree more", and then smiled.

Tina smiled back. I feel like we are totally connecting, she thought. God, this is…kind of intense. I mean, here is this beautiful woman, who I just met, who has a girlfriend, and we are totally connecting. Tina's head started to swirl with thoughts. Stop it, she thought. She held Santana's gaze for a moment longer and then cleared her throat, picked up a menu, and said, "So…um…should we order a couple Polish sausages and some fries? And another round of beers?" She looked at Santana and smiled again. "I'm buying."

Santana looked back at Tina, smiled, and picked up a menu.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tina was driving Santana home. It was just before 6am, and the sky was beginning to turn light. What a wonderful night, Tina thought as she drove. Fantastic show, and a lovely time after. It's funny, she thought - it felt like a date, even though it wasn't. As she drove, she stole the occasional glance to the side. A couple times she caught Santana glancing back. Stop it, Tina told herself again. This woman has a girlfriend, and you're not the kind of person who gets in the way of that. She kept driving, her head swirling with thoughts. She drove for a few more minutes and then Santana told her to pull over as they approached her apartment. The apartment she shared with her girlfriend, Tina thought. "This is it", Santana said.

Tina put the car in park and looked over at Santana. "Hey, I had a really nice time tonight", she said.

Santana grabbed her purse and looked back at Tina. "Me too", she said. "Thanks for the meal and the beers." She leaned her head in a bit and said, "And for the talk. It was really…nice."

Santana smiled and kept her eyes on Tina. Tina smiled back. She mirrored Santana's movement and leaned her head in as well. Their faces were less than a foot apart. What am I doing? Tina asked herself again. They sat there like that for a few seconds, and then Tina moved in closer. She paused, less than six inches from Santana's lips. She could smell Santana's perfume. "I really want to kiss you right now", Tina said, in a voice that was barely more than a whisper.

Santana moved in closer. Less than two inches and their lips would meet. They stayed there for a moment, and then Santana looked down. "I'm sorry, I-I-I can't", she said, and pulled back.

Shit, Tina thought. I just totally overstepped my boundaries. "No, it's okay", Tina said. "I'm sorry. I-I-I was wrong...to try to kiss you. You told me you have a girlfriend, and I…I don't know. I guess I just felt like we…connected." Way to go, slick, Tina thought to herself. What were you thinking?

"It's not your fault", Santana said. "I mean, we do connect, and you're cute in your rock star kind of way. I just-"

"Look", Tina cut her off, "I don't want to be a homewrecker or anything. I mean, I know we probably shouldn't hook up, even though I want to, 'cause, well, you're totally hot." Wait, Tina thought. I don't want to just hook up with her. I'd like to date her, get to know her, maybe be in a relationship with her. Slow down, and collect your thoughts before you start talking again, Tina thought to herself. She paused for a moment and then looked at Santana and said, "But, can I just tell you something? I think your girlfriend needs to spend more time with you. I mean, I get that work is important to her, but spending time with people who are important in your life is more important", Tina said, and she meant it. Yes, Santana was gorgeous, and yes, Tina was attracted to her, but still – more importantly, Santana was a good person, and I honestly want what's best for her, Tina thought. Even though, yeah, I would totally go for her. Tina paused and then said, "I mean, if you were my girlfriend, I wouldn't leave you alone." She smiled. Was that pushing it too far, she thought? Santana smiled back but didn't say anything, so Tina continued. "Hey, I've got a show at Double Door in two weeks. I'd love for you to come see me play, but, well…maybe you and your girlfriend need to figure some things out." Tina smiled at Santana and then said, "The next time I see you, if our faces get that close again, I may not leave you alone."

Santana laughed softly. "Yeah, okay." She looked at Tina, smiled, and then said, "Thanks again. See you around."

"Bye, Santana", Tina said softly and smiled back. She waited for Santana to exit the car and get into the apartment building, then drove off, still smiling.


End file.
